Flash Effects
by Kagerou Fuji
Summary: [Sequel to Osaka] Before classes start for Fuji, Atobe, and Shiraishi, Fuji finds out something no one can predict. Then, all kinds of problems start popping up. Shiraishi x Fuji, Tezuka x Atobe, Chitose x Yukimura
1. Chapter 1

**Flash Effects**

**Summary:** Before classes start for Fuji, Atobe, and Shiraishi, Fuji finds out something no one can predict. Then, all kinds of problems start popping up.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Tezuka x Atobe, Chitose x Yukimura

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

Yay, I've finally finished my sequel to 'Osaka'! No flashy chapter titles for this one, though. They're just going to be 'Chapter 1', 'Chapter 2', etc. Since this is kind of a prologue, it is the shortest chapter of the story. But I think one of the chapters to this has over 4000 words! I'm so excited to share this with you dedicated Tenipuri fans that actually read up to the latest chapters! Or at least the ones with Shitenhouji in them. But anyway, please read, review, and enjoy!

**Chapter 1:**

"Keigo, there's something I need to tell you," were the first words that Atobe Keigo heard one Wednesday afternoon, the day before their classes were to start.

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Fuji and Atobe were currently going to college and rooming together at the Osaka College of Arts. Since it was obviously customary, and they both needed to get settled, they had both arrived a couple days before the college classes started, and those were the busiest days since they had graduated from high school.

Especially for Fuji. Yes, especially for Fuji. He could remember it vividly. Even though it was only a couple days ago, Fuji felt like it had been years. Fuji had run into his old friend from Osaka's Shitenhouji Chuu, Shiraishi Kuranosuke first thing after arriving at the college gates. He had even seen Shiraishi before he had run into Atobe, who he found out that he was rooming with a little while later.

Fuji and Shiraishi had gone to visit all the friends that they had in Osaka, since Fuji hadn't seen them in a while. After that, everything got insanely hectic. Not that Fuji minded, though, since he loved to have a good time with his friends. Especially his friends from Shitenhouji.

And then the contest happened. While walking to the mall with his Shitenhouji friends one day in the morning, they spotted a poster advertising a photography contest being held in Osaka for all residents. All of Fuji's friends thought he and Shiraishi should enter together, since Fuji was a good photographer and Shiraishi was majoring in graphic design. The prompt for the competition was 'shadows'.

While walking back from the mall, after Fuji's other Shitenhouji friends had gone their own ways, Fuji and Shiraishi were walking back to the college dorms. That was when the two had first kissed. Then the memories of the past tragedy with Tezuka had come flooding back to him.

The days after that, Fuji had started remembering the past more than he himself wanted to. It was almost like Tezuka was invading his mind, but Fuji was pushing him away. The only things keeping him from completely breaking down were his dear friends comforting him. They were always by his side when the memories were the worst.

The tragedy happened in Seishun Gakuen, in their third year. Fuji and Tezuka had been dating each other for a while, when one day, Fuji found Tezuka kissing someone else in the locker rooms. Fuji had broken up with Tezuka in a matter of two words the day after that. Fuji transferred to Hyotei Gakuen, who accepted him with open arms and smiles on their faces. Fuji instantly felt at home. And he didn't talk to Tezuka directly all through high school.

For the contest, Fuji ended up entering a picture with Shiraishi and him sitting at the banks of a river during sunset, with Fuji leaning his head on Shiraishi's shoulder and his back on Shiraishi's arm. They had used the timer on Fuji's camera, and the previous Shitenhouji captain had edited the picture to make it look better. They had ordered prints from a photo shop, and that was where Fuji and Shiraishi had officially become a couple. They had stayed at Chitose's apartment after that for a sleepover.

The next day was the award ceremony for the contest being held all throughout Osaka. After sitting through nearly an hour of talking of other peoples' entries, it was finally time to announce the first place winner. Or maybe it should be winner_s_. The winners, of course, were Fuji and Shiraishi, and they were overjoyed.

When Fuji had gotten back to the dorm that one day, he had showed Atobe the picture and the trophy (that Shiraishi decided he would let Fuji display in his dorm). Atobe hadn't commented much on the picture, but only congratulated Fuji. Fuji brushed it aside, because he just figured that Atobe had been in the middle of something. Atobe tended to be slightly cold when he was interrupted.

Fuji hadn't informed him of him and Shiraishi dating, though. And he didn't tell Atobe the title of the picture, 'Forbidden Love'. He was afraid to figure out what would happen next, and he didn't really want to know, anyway.

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And right there, right now, they were each sitting on the two beds, with Fuji just resting on one and Atobe reading on the other. Fuji had just randomly started talking, and he was saying, "Keigo, there's something I need to tell you."

Atobe lifted his head up in curiosity. "Yes?"

Fuji sighed. He knew that he should tell Atobe about the news about him and Shiraishi sometime, but he had just been delaying it and delaying it. He knew that Atobe might get distracted from his classes and all the such if he told him now, but it would be better than if Atobe found it out for himself. "Keigo…Kuranosuke and I…are…"

"Dating?" Atobe finished as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Fuji blinked and nodded.

"Congratulations." Atobe turned back to his book and continued to read. Had he not been affected at all? Fuji continued to sit straight up on the bed and stared at Atobe. What was wrong? Fuji didn't mind the nonchalant reaction, but it wasn't what he was expecting. And Fuji almost always got what he expected. What was wrong this time? Was Atobe distracted? Could he not hear right?

Fuji had known that Atobe had liked him since when he moved to college. There was definitely something about the way he treated him that signaled it. Atobe was kind of a flirt, but the way that he kissed Fuji and hugged him made Fuji sure that he really loved him. Or at least, had a crush on him. What was this reaction?

"Is that all you have to say?" Fuji asked. It wasn't in an irritated tone, but a genuinely curious one.

"Yeah. What else should I say?" Atobe replied, not looking up from his book.

"Well at least look at me," Fuji said. Now, he was irritated. Atobe sighed and closed his book after sticking the piece of paper that he was using as a bookmark in it.

"Congratulations," he said again.

"Say it like you mean it. Do you not care?" Fuji asked.

"What is there to care about? You two are dating. So what? What else am I to say?" he repeated.

"What are you, a broken record?" Fuji asked.

"Hey, I'm kind of in the middle of something. So would you just leave me be for now and we can chit-chat later?" Atobe asked.

"Oh, yeah, I can definitely see that." And with that, Fuji got up off the bed and walked out of the room. He wasn't one of those people that would storm out of the room and slam the door, he just calmly walked away. But inside, he was very annoyed.

He stood out in the hallway, leaning against the wall of the room that he and Atobe shared. What would make Atobe act like that? He knew that Atobe was reading, but a book wouldn't be enough to make Atobe totally distant. There was something about what Fuji had told him that made him act like that, since he was fine before. Was it the way Fuji said it? No, there was nothing different about his tone of voice except the fact that he sounded a little more nervous than before. And since it was Fuji talking, and Atobe had his book on his mind, he wouldn't have picked up on that.

Fuji thought more. Lately, Atobe had shown a little more disinterest in Fuji, since Fuji had come back with the trophy and the picture. Maybe since Atobe knew Fuji was taken, he didn't really care anymore. But anyone who really liked someone couldn't get over them that easily. Take Fuji and Tezuka for an example. It had been over three years since they had broken up, and Fuji still wasn't thinking clearly when he thought about Tezuka.

Besides, it wasn't really that same type of air that Atobe was giving off. It was almost like he was tired of…putting on an act…?

* * *

Did you like it? Just a little prologue kind of thing. Leaves you hanging...a bit. I'm going to be out of town until Monday, so my next update will be then. I apologize for making you wait, but it wasnt' really my decision. xD;; Anyway, please review! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Flash Effects**

**Summary:** Before classes start for Fuji, Atobe, and Shiraishi, Fuji finds out something no one can predict. Then, all kinds of problems start popping up.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Tezuka x Atobe, Chitose x Yukimura

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

Okay, guys, this chapter is long! xD;; I have to tell you something, though. I don't know anything about college or anything, so if something is messed up, forgive me! I'm not in college yet and I have many more years to go (a little hint about my age there). I took the classes from a college that my brother applied to. xD;; But anyway, I really hope you like this chapter! I had a good time writing it. Please read, review, and enjoy!

**Chapter 2:**

Fuji awoke the bright Tuesday morning after his previous dispute with his roommate to the feeling of anticipation. He was really excited for the classes to start. He was also nervous, for the reasons that any student is nervous. What if his professors were mean, or unfair? What if the students were mean? What if he wasn't good enough? What if the projects were too hard or complicated? 

Fuji sighed and got up to get dressed. He reminded himself that he _was_ good enough, and things were _never_ too difficult for him. He _was_ Fuji Syusuke, after all. And he _did_ win a photography contest designed to challenge all the residents of Osaka. With Shiraishi's help, of course.

Ah, Shiraishi, Fuji mused. He was the boyfriend that Fuji loved the most out of all the ones he ever had. Even though they had only been dating for a little while, Fuji loved him so much. Shiraishi was always at Fuji side when he needed it the most, and he never pressured him into things. Also, he was smart, handsome, nice, and good at tennis. The perfect person (just like his tennis style).

Fuji washed his face in the bathroom with cold water. He had always used cold water since he was a kid, because it made him feel more awake. Warm water always made him want to go back to sleep. Fuji dried his face and looked in the mirror. Good, he thought, his hair wasn't all over the place. He ran a comb through it and it was ready to go. _He_ was ready to go.

He walked out of the room and almost ran into Shiraishi. Speak, or think, of the devil, Fuji thought. They were going to go to the cafeteria for breakfast together, as they had been doing ever since college started. Atobe would wake up by himself, usually. And besides, Fuji didn't want to play mother.

Fuji's classes were in this order. At 8:00am, his first class would be Drawing 1: General FDC-143, with Shiraishi, and then his next class would be at 9:00, and it was Light/Color/Design 1 FDC-163. The next class was right after that, and it was Photography 1 PHOT-101. Then, he would get a short break for lunch. The class afterwards was Video 1 FILM-109, and then there was Survey of Art 1 HA-115. Then, he would get a long break, and his last class was at 8:00pm, and it was Introduction to Literary & Critical Studies 1 ENGL-101. Afterwards, Fuji was done for the day. It looked tiring to him.

Shiraishi was majoring in graphic design. He put his schedule on the table and Fuji looked at it. He had the same classes as Fuji, except for instead of Photography, he would have 3-D Design1 FDC-163, and instead of Video, he would have 4-D Design 1 FDC-180. That meant Atobe would also have those classes.

In his first semester, he would have Shiraishi in every one of his classes, except for Photography and Video. He didn't know about Atobe, since some of the classes were the same, but were at different times to accommodate for the large number of students. But it was only two classes. He didn't even want to look at the second semester, but he didn't have to worry about that now. Right now, all he had to worry about was to get through this first day. And that shouldn't be a worry for Fuji Syusuke, right?

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WRONG. Wrong wrong wrong, Fuji thought, as he flopped down in a chair in the cafeteria. He had just gone through three classes, and he was already tired. He promised to meet Shiraishi at the table he was sitting at. Fuji looked up. There he was, walking towards him…getting closer…quick, Fuji thought, make yourself look normal. Fuji sat up slowly and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Syusuke, you don't have to act like that," Shiraishi said. "It's okay if you're tired."

After hearing that, Fuji fell into his previous position, which wasn't much different, but for Fuji it was.

Shiraishi went on. "Usually the first days are the worst. Once you get used to it, it's not so bad," he said.

"And how do you know all this?" Fuji asked. He rested his head on his arms and sighed. "This is going to be a long day. And I really don't want to go to that dumb Literary and Critical Studies at nighttime. Why does it have to be then?"

"Relax, Syusuke, we all have classes in the evening. It's just the way it is. I bet that class will be the easiest, anyway. And besides, I'm in that class with you. Now that can't be so bad, right?" Shiraishi joked.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I'm still exhausted."

"Probably because you haven't been doing anything in a while. It's been summer; this is how everyone must feel," Shiraishi pointed out. "Look around you."

Fuji lifted his head and looked. Everyone was indeed as tired as he was. "Then what about you?" he asked his boyfriend.

"I'm special…?" Shiraishi said. "No, I'm tired, too. I just try not to show it."

"And how do you obtain that special power?" Fuji asked.

"I wouldn't be asking if I were you."

"The professors in Photography told us that we're going to have a project soon," Fuji said. "I mean, come on. Already?"

"Of course. But that's strange; the ones in 3-D Design said the same thing."

Fuji blinked. "Then maybe we're doing a collaborated project or something. I mean, photography and graphic design were always closely intertwined, anyway, right?" Fuji said.

"That would be cool. Because I'm not good at individual projects."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not creative under pressure," Shiraishi said.

"You were fine with the Autumn Art Competition," Fuji pointed out.

"Having another person there helps," Shiraishi explained.

"Well then think of it this way: everyone else is under the same amount of pressure as you are. So in a sense, you're partners with everyone."

"But I'm also enemies with everyone, since a lot of times, professors grade projects based on what other people also turned in. So if you're work is good and everyone else's is bad, then you'll get a good grade, but if you're work is good, but everyone else's is better, then you won't get as high a grade."

"So basically, they're just trying to get you to always try to be the best."

"Yeah. Which is why I think this college will be good for both of us." Shiraishi smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Fuji looked around again. Everyone was getting out of their seats. It must be time for the next period to start. "Twenty minute lunch breaks aren't nearly enough."

"I'll say," Shiraishi muttered. They threw their trash away and walked their separate ways, since Shiraishi would be going to 4D Design, and Fuji was going to Video.

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When Fuji came back from his two afternoon classes, he wasn't as tired. It was only 3:00 in the afternoon, and he had a lot of time before his next class. He was right about Atobe, in the fact that his classes were the same but at different times. They had shown each other their schedules after Fuji's last afternoon class. It was almost as if the little fight hadn't actually happened. But Atobe was still acting kind of strange. Like, he wasn't talking as much or as loudly.

It gave Fuji an unsettling feeling. It made him feel like his roommate would rather be somewhere else at the moment. Atobe didn't act that way, and he didn't talk in an annoyed manner, but it just gave Fuji that _feeling_. And he didn't like it.

Which was why he chose to spend most of his afternoon in Shiraishi's room. He stopped briefly in his own room to talk with Atobe a little about his schedule. But he didn't even drop off his stuff. He carried it all to Shiraishi's room, actually, since he felt better if he had his camera with him. Somehow, he just didn't like it to be left alone for a while. And it seemed like he was going to spend a while in Shiraishi's room.

When Fuji walked in, it was still a mess; the same as it had been when Fuji had walked in for the first time. Fuji had to gingerly put down his feet, not even using his heels, to avoid stepping on something. Once, he heard a sickening crack as he leaned down on his left foot, but to his relief, it was just a plastic box. Shiraishi didn't even look up from the screen.

"Hey, Kuranosuke, I hope you didn't need that plastic box for anything," Fuji said. Shiraishi looked up.

"I don't think I did. Sorry about the room. Now that I have it all to myself, it kind of looks like my room back at home," Shiraishi said.

"I wonder if your parents bothered to clean it after you left," Fuji said.

"They better not have," muttered Shiraishi. "I can never find anything when they clean up my room. When my room is messy, I can still find things easily, since I know myself best and I know exactly where I put things."

"It's the exact opposite with me. I have to have things pretty neat, since it bothers me to be messy myself," Fuji said. "But I don't mind when other people are messy, since there's nothing I can do about it, anyway," he added quickly. "Anyway, what were you working on before I got here? It seemed like you were really absorbed."

"Nothing really. Just messing around with Photoshop. I still haven't gotten a lot of the things that they have on there. There's just so much stuff! I was looking on websites for some tutorials, too." Shiraishi turned his whole body so that he was facing Fuji, who was sitting on the bed, for lack of better place to sit. "So, what do you want to do?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe we should call Chitose. He said to call him sometime, anyway."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll dig out my cell phone from this mess." Shiraishi looked around. It really _was_ a mess. He would have to remind himself to clean it up a little later. For now, he just had to think of where he last put his cell phone. Let's see…cell phone…cell phone…he thought. He looked at the wall where the outlet was, and sure enough, the charger to his cell phone was plugged in. He pushed his hand through a pile of papers and pulled out his cell phone. He took the papers and shuffled through them. He threw them all out, since the papers by the outlet were a fire hazard.

"You can turn cell phones on speaker, right?" Fuji asked.

"Of course." He took the cell phone and dialed Chitose's number. He pressed the speakerphone button and the dialing noise became louder.

Finally, Chitose picked up. "Hello?" he said.

Shiraishi was about to speak, but Fuji nearly purred, "Senriiiii…guess who?"

Chitose laughed. "It's good to see you're doing well, Syu-chan, Kuranosuke," he said.

"How did you know it was me, too?" Shiraishi asked.

"You know, Caller ID _exists_," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. And it pretty much was.

"Right."

Fuji smiled. His friends were so funny. "So, what's new?" Chitose asked. "Did something happen?"

"Not yet, thankfully," Fuji said. "But our college started today."

"Well, that's something new," Chitose pointed out.

"Right, but we're glad that nothing happened," Fuji said. "But our professors said that we were going to have a project soon in Photography."

"Yeah, and our professors said that, too, in 3-D Design," Shiraishi added.

"Interesting," Chitose replied to the two of them.

"We think that we might have to work with people from the other class for this project or something," Fuji said.

"Yeah, sounds logical. But why would they assign a partner project so early in the year?" Chitose asked.

"Probably for you to get to know the people in your college," Shiraishi said.

"And to separate the top of the class from the bottom," Fuji said.

"You have to remember, Syu-chan, that these people are the best of the best. Only the _elite_ make it into this college. There's not going to be a bottom class. Everyone is top class, and something you have to compete with," Shiraishi said.

"So what that means is that if they grade the way that you told me," Fuji said, "that there will be a very fine line between getting an A and failing."

"Right," Shiraishi said.

"Wait," Chitose interrupted. "What's the way of grading that Kuranosuke told you about?"

"Well, basically, they grade your papers based on other peoples' papers. If you do well, but other people did better, you won't get a good grade," Fuji explained briefly.

"Oh, that must stink. So, unless you're _always_ the best, you will inevitably get a bad grade sometime in your stay there," Chitose said.

"Yeah. But always being the best is something I'm going to try for, not just for my grade," Fuji said.

"This college is bringing out the fighting power in you, then," Chitose said. "That's good. Maybe it will influence your tennis."

"Yeah," Shiraishi said. "You've got a good point."

"I can't wait until we can go play next. Maybe this weekend or something," Fuji said.

"That would be a good idea. I'm not doing anything this weekend," Chitose said.

"Me neither," Fuji said. "And I don't think Shiraishi is, either, right?"

"Yeah, I'm free."

Fuji smiled. "That's great! I can't wait to see you again! It's only been a few days since I last saw you, and I miss you guys already!" He changed the subject. "Has Yuushi left yet?"

"Nope, he's still here," Chitose answered. "He'll be leaving next Sunday, though."

"Then it will be the last time we'll see him for a while, then," Fuji said.

"Yeah."

There was some silence.

Fuji heard a faint knocking on the door which grew louder and more insistent with every collision of hand and door. He stood up and walked over to the door and opened it to come face to face with his roommate. "Oh, Keigo," he said.

"Oi, oi, Syusuke, it's time to go to class," Atobe said impatiently.

Fuji looked at the clock, and indeed it was time to go to his next class. "What's your class, Keigo?" he asked.

Atobe thought for a moment, and he said, "Introduction to Literary & Critical Studies 1."

Fuji blinked. "Same! It's the only class we have together!"

"Ah, I have that now, too," Shiraishi said.

"That's great, we'll all be together, then," Fuji said. "At least we're done after this class. And it's only an hour long."

"Yeah, good point," Shiraishi said.

"Not for me; I have another class right after. But I don't start at the same time as you," Atobe said. Shiraishi looked at him. There was something slightly _slightly_ different about the way Atobe was acting. He couldn't pick up on what it was. He decided to let it go. They left the room and walked to their class together.

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Fuji entered his room with a sigh. Finally, he thought, the first day was over. That was exhausting. Outside, it was raining quietly and lightly. Fuji looked at the rain. It was the kind that would turn heavier later. For now, he should probably just enjoy the quietness while it lasted.

He sat down on the bed and placed his fingers around the strap of his camera and lifted it off of his neck. At least, he _tried_ to lift it off. What was going on? He couldn't get his camera off. He suddenly felt his own legs lift him off the bed. He walked over to the door that led to the balcony.

What was he doing? He needed to take a shower. He had run all the way back from the class in the rain. He still felt himself walking towards the door and wrapped his fingers around the handle to the door. He effortlessly pulled it open and stepped out into the night. Into the rain, and he was already wet to begin with.

What was he doing?! He clutched his camera. A clap of thunder was heard across the sky. Yet Fuji couldn't turn himself around and walk into the safety and warmth of his room. He dearly hoped that Atobe wouldn't come back at that moment. Though, a little in his heart, he wished he would come back so that Fuji could be dragged back into the room. Somehow, though, he didn't think that would work.

He was done thinking. His hands were moving on their own. They gripped his camera tightly and his index finger twisted the knob to the little camera icon. He kept telling himself, I'm done, I'm done! Go inside! But he wouldn't turn. Instead, he just stood there, with his camera in his hand. He brought it up to his face slowly and focused it on the moon.

Suddenly, Fuji couldn't feel the rain coming down in torrents on his back anymore. He couldn't feel the icy autumn wind ripping against his body. All he felt was the exhilaration when he saw something that he wanted to take a picture of, but if he made a sound, it would disappear. The moon wasn't like that, though. Then what was this feeling?

His finger pressed gingerly down onto the button. The shutter snapped. At that moment, he heard the door to the room creak open. Fuji didn't change his stance. It couldn't be Atobe. He hadn't been out for an entire hour, had he?

He heard Shiraishi's voice shout "Syusuke!" and his world went black.

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Fuji woke up to a sound coming from the bathroom. He tried to remember something after when he was standing outside in the rain. He could only recall someone picking him up gently and placing him onto the bed. They stroked his hair a couple times, rapped the blanket around him and sat with him. Finally, after a long while, they had left.

Fuji couldn't remember seeing anything, though. All he could remember were the sounds, and the feelings. But he recalled them very well. Normally, he wouldn't have been able to remember the exact number of times Shiraishi had felt his forehead for a fever. Or exactly how long Shiraishi had stayed with him.

Fuji blinked. He could see perfectly fine, now. There was a white-ish light coming from the bathroom. The door was open slightly. There was talking coming from it. Fuji sat up. The talking stopped abruptly. He lied back down on to the bed slowly just as Atobe came out of the bathroom.

Fuji could see with his eyes closed. Anyone who had known him for even a day and a half could see that. He walked around with his eyes closed all day, and he never ran into anything even once. And this skill was coming in handy right about now.

He could see that Atobe had something in his hand. In the darkness, he couldn't really decipher it. No, unfortunately Fuji Syusuke did not have night vision. He thought it looked slightly like a cell phone, though. After about thirty seconds (that felt like thirty hours to Fuji), Atobe finally went back into the bathroom.

"He must have just shifted positions or something," Atobe was saying. Fuji's ears almost twitched. Who was he talking to?! "Yeah, I know. Speaking of him, I can't believe he actually believed that I liked him all that time."

What?! Fuji's eyes snapped open. What had he just heard?! "I know. They're going out now, so it doesn't really matter. Oh. What? Shiraishi, of course; did you think it would be Chitose? Yeah."

What had Fuji just heard? Had Atobe been pulling an act?! For what reason? Now that he was going out with Shiraishi…Fuji _had_ to listen for more. "I know, he still can't get over it. Yeah, I know."

Fuji shifted, but this time, Atobe didn't seem to notice. Fuji couldn't pick up much of a phone conversation from one end, especially if it was the listening end. But he knew one thing. Atobe didn't really like him. He listened for more. They were bidding their farewells now. Hopefully, Fuji might be able to figure out who Atobe was talking to. And why would they need to talk to each other privately?

"Yeah. Okay, okay. I love you, too." Fuji blinked again. Atobe was dating someone? "Mhm. Goodbye, _**Kunimitsu.**_"

* * *

Yay, done uploading this chapter! Sorry for the wait...I went on a vacation. I hope you guys like this one as much as you liked the last one. I love my reviewers who stayed faithful throughout Osaka and here. I'm always looking for new ones! Please review! 


	3. Chapter 3

**Flash Effects**

**Summary:** Before classes start for Fuji, Atobe, and Shiraishi, Fuji finds out something no one can predict. Then, all kinds of problems start popping up.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Tezuka x Atobe, Chitose x Yukimura

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

This chapter is a little shorter, too. XD;; Under 3000 words, at least. But I hope you enjoy it anyway! Time for Tezuka to come into the story! Even more now! Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

Fuji stumbled from his bed to the windowsill quietly. Had he really heard what he thought he had last night? Had he _really_? Atobe…and Tezuka…no. No. Them…three years ago…in the locker rooms… Fuji clutched his forehead. He couldn't stand in this room anymore. He grabbed his backpack and ran out the room. He ran across the hall to Shiraishi's room, in his pajamas. Fuji rapped on the door loudly and insistently.

No answer. He nearly pounded on the door. "Shiraishi, answer the door!" he hissed. Finally, the door was opened and Fuji almost fell into the room. Instead, he just fell onto Shiraishi and clutched him.

"Syusuke, Syusuke! What happened?" he asked. "Syusuke!"

Fuji started to cry. Not sob, but just cry. He was shaking. He could feel it himself. "Don't let go of me, Kuranosuke," he barely managed to whisper. He felt Shiraishi's grip tighten around his waist. "Don't let go…"

There was silence. The only sounds that were heard were Fuji's quiet crying and the rain tapping on the window, as if asking to be let in. Shiraishi would _not_ open the window. Especially after what happened last night.

He didn't know what had gotten into Fuji last night. He was going to Fuji's room to ask if he could have some printer paper to sketch on, since he was out of it. He knocked a couple times, but no one was answering. Fuji should be at that time, he thought. And he wasn't a particularly heavy sleeper.

Shiraishi had finally decided to try the door. It was unlocked. If it was unlocked, then Fuji probably wouldn't mind his coming into the room. He opened the door to find his boyfriend standing out in the pouring rain. He had shouted his name, and ran over to the balcony just as Fuji was about to fall onto the concrete outside.

What had happened? Fuji was fine yesterday afternoon. He was pretty sure nothing happened during or after class, either, or else Shiraishi would've been there to witness it. Something had gotten into Fuji, which made him do that. And at night, something probably went on between Fuji and Atobe. It must've been serious, though, to make Fuji like this. It must've had to do with Tezuka.

Shiraishi dialed the number of the one person who would be a great help. _Damn it, Chitose Senri! Pick up the phone!!!_

_------------------------------------- _

Chitose Senri woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. The shrill ring pierced his eardrums. Who the hell could be calling now?! It was not even 7:00 in the morning. He lied in his bed for a while, and finally decided to pick up. "Hello?" he said in a sleepy voice.

"Chitose! You finally picked up!" It was Shiraishi.

"What could you possibly want at this hour of day?" Chitose asked irritably.

"It's Syusuke." Chitose sat up immediately in his bed.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. He just came over to my room and started to cry," Shiraishi said.

"Is he still there?"

"Of course! Do you think I would make him go back? Something clearly happened between him and Atobe, but I don't know what."

"Here, let me talk to him," Chitose said. There was a beep and the phone was on speaker.

"Senri, is that you?" Chitose heard Fuji's quiet voice say.

"Yeah. Syusuke, can you tell us what happened?" Chitose asked. Fuji seemed to have calmed down now.

"Tezuka…and Atobe…" was Fuji's only reply.

There was silence.

"Oh, no. Oh my god," Chitose finally said into the phone quietly after a while.

"He never told me…he didn't really like me," Fuji said. "Last night, I heard them talking on the phone in the middle of the night."

"That sick bastard!" Chitose almost shouted into the phone.

"Wait a minute, who's fault do you think it is more of, Tezuka's or Atobe's?" Shiraishi asked.

"It's both of them. Tezuka was the one who first cheated on Fuji, but Atobe was the one who kept it a secret. Not telling anything is the same thing as lying," Chitose said.

"That's right. What are we going to do?"

"Just let Syusuke stay at your place for a while. I don't know if he's ever going to want to go back to his original room. Don't force it," Chitose said.

"Alright."

"I'm glad you called me."

"Mhm. So am I," Shiraishi said. "I'll just let Syusuke rest and wash his face a little before our classes start. Thanks."

"No problem."

_------------------------------------- _

Atobe woke up. His first thought was that Fuji—he looked over at the other bed—was not there. Where had he gone? Probably to Shiraishi's room, Atobe thought. For what reason? He got his phone and dialed Fuji's cell phone number. Busy. Why? He called again, and this time, the call got through. He waited and listened to the dial tone. Finally, Fuji picked up.

"Hello?" he said. His voice was quiet, but still normal.

"Syusuke! Thank god you're safe. I was so worried—"

"Don't joke with me, Atobe," Fuji said in a dangerously icy tone.

"What?" Atobe said, confused. But Fuji had already hung up. Atobe brought the phone down slowly from his ear. What? He repeated the question in his mind. What had happened? Had Fuji heard him and Tezuka? No, it wasn't possible. Yet, somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew it _was_ possible. He called the person that Shiraishi must have told first.

The ringing was the only sound that Atobe could hear. Finally, after a few rings, Chitose picked up. "Hello?" he said.

"Chitose. Sorry to disturb you, but do you know what happened to Fuji?" Atobe asked.

Suddenly, Chitose's voice turned cold, too. "Well, well, who do we have here? The cause of Syusuke's pain, perhaps."

"What?" Atobe said, surprised.

"What happened to Syusuke? I think you should know that the best," Chitose said. "You may have ruined Fuji's life, but we can bring it back. You can just stand back and enjoy your little Tezuka, because you can have him back. Neither you nor him were ever good enough for Syusuke, anyway." Chitose hung up.

Atobe stared at the wall. So Fuji had found out. He should have been more careful. He shouldn't have let down his guard. Like Tezuka always said. What difference would it have made? Fuji would have found out about it one day, anyway. He just thought that maybe there would be less trouble if he had told Fuji himself.

Why didn't he earlier? Atobe had kept delaying it and delaying it because he didn't want to see Fuji's reaction. Just a day, he kept telling himself back in high school. Just another day and I'll tell him. But days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. And this was Atobe's consequence.

He had delayed it to the point that he pretended that he liked Fuji. He had felt an attraction to the smaller boy at first, but after they had gone to college, it had all turned into an act. Maybe he had acted differently. Fuji had probably been suspicious of him. So had Shiraishi, probably.

What a mistake, he told himself. The biggest mistake. He kept insisting in his mind that it wasn't his fault. It was Tezuka's fault. The one who originally cheated on Fuji. But it didn't work, of course. Atobe knew it was his own fault. He was the one who had been the one who Tezuka was with, and yet, he didn't tell Fuji. If he had just told him…

Atobe picked up his phone once again. Just one more call, he thought. Maybe Tezuka would be able to straighten things out. But things were already pretty straightforward. Atobe had made a mistake. A big mistake. He called Tezuka anyway.

The phone rang. He was absolutely sure that Tezuka would pick up. And he did. "Hello?" he said in his deep voice. Atobe knew why Fuji had fallen in love with this man. He had, too, anyway.

"Kunimitsu? It's Keigo."

"Oh, hello. Why did you call?" Atobe almost laughed. For Tezuka there was no 'calling just to say hi'. There was always a reason. He wondered what Tezuka's reaction would be if he told him that he just called to say hi. But not now, he told himself. Now, he had to straighten things up with Fuji.

"It's Fuji."

"He found out?"

"Yeah."

"Figured he would sooner or later. He's a perceptive guy."

Atobe blinked. "Why did you keep calling me, then? All the blame is going to go on me."

"Why didn't you tell him earlier?" Tezuka asked.

"What?"

"You needed to be taught a lesson, Keigo. Don't be a procrastinator. Especially in a situation like this one. You can't just stand around and do nothing. This is your lesson. And your consequence. He's yours to deal with now. Don't bother me with Fuji." Tezuka hung up.

Atobe blinked. Tezuka was betraying him, too? He was annoyed. But deep down, he knew that he _deserved_ to be betrayed.

_------------------------------------- _

Chitose was still shocked that Atobe would do a thing like that. He had trusted the former captain of Hyotei, after he had played a match with him in the National tournament (1). He was a fair player, even after he had injured Tezuka's shoulder. Chitose almost didn't believe it. Yet, it was true. He trusted Fuji more than he trusted Atobe. Fuji wouldn't lie about something like this. What did he have against Atobe, before the incident happened? Nothing.

"What's going on?" Chitose jumped. Kintarou had just walked into the room. "I heard a lot of talking going on here, but there's no one but you."

"I was on the phone," Chitose said simply.

"With who?" Kintarou asked.

"It was Syusuke. Something…happened between him and Atobe concerning Tezuka."

Kintarou seemed to be in thought for a moment. "Let me guess. Atobe is dating Tezuka and he was the one Tezuka cheated with on Fuji three years ago. And Atobe didn't tell Fuji, and Fuji is now very angry at him."

"How did you know?"

"It's obvious," Kintarou replied simply.

"Oh."

"From Fuji's past experiences, anything that happens that concerns Tezuka isn't going to be good news. And Atobe seems like the type for Tezuka. Does Kura-chan know?"

"Yeah, of course. He's the first one Syusuke ran to. And then he called me, and Syusuke told us everything that happened."

"How did Syu-chan find out?"

"He heard Atobe talking to Tezuka last night. It was at, like, midnight or something. I think they've been talking to each other in secret ever since they moved to college."

"Wow, I bet Atobe was absolutely _thrilled_ to have Fuji as his roommate," Kintarou said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I know. But he did a good job keeping a secret. I wonder how long he thought he would last."

"_I_ wonder if he's told Tezuka yet."

"Probably has. He probably went crying to Tezuka right after he called me."

"He called you?"

"Yeah."

"What did you say?"

"I just told him off."

"Oh, I see. Sounds like a Chitose thing to do."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Sure."

At that moment, Yuushi and his younger cousin walked in. "Sounds like something happened to Syusuke," Kenya said.

"Yeah," both Kintarou and Chitose replied. "He found out that Atobe was the one that Tezuka cheated with on him three years ago. They've been dating since then, but Atobe didn't tell Fuji. And now Fuji's mad. Really mad."

"Oh, I can imagine," Yuushi said. "But Atobe? He doesn't seem like the type."

"Are you kidding me?!" Kenya almost shouted.

"Even if he's an egoist, he normally keeps to his word."

"This isn't a promise we're talking about. This is a matter of lying and telling the truth, or a matter of not telling anything at all."

"What I'm saying is that he's normally pretty honest."

"Well, Atobe may be honest about the things that he _actually says_ in the first place. In this case, though, not saying anything is the same thing as straight up lying," Chitose said.

Both Yuushi and Kenya thought for a moment. "You have a good point," Yuushi finally said. "But why Tezuka? Why did he have to mess around with _Fuji's_ boyfriend? Couldn't he have just left them alone and found someone else?"

"Maybe he just felt a strong attachment to Tezuka. Things like that happen, you know," Kintarou said.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Atobe's going to get it, though. Dating Tezuka is not his only fault. The biggest error was the fact that he didn't tell Syusuke," Kenya said.

"That was the thing he could've controlled, and yet, he still chose not to. It was lying and that in a punishable sin," Yuushi said.

"And Tezuka couldn't have told Syusuke himself?" Kenya asked.

"I think Tezuka was trying to _mend_ his relationship with Syusuke, not hurt it even more," Chitose said and rolled his eyes.

"Besides, it's Atobe's responsibility to tell Syu-chan, since he was the one that totally ruined his life, anyway," Kintarou said.

"We'll just see how this turns out in the end. And if the chance arises, we'll help Syusuke."

* * *

(1): I have NO CLUE WHATSOEVER if Chitose actually played Atobe or not in one of the many years that their teams have gone to Nationals. I just made it up for the sake of the story. xD;;

Please review! I'll see you guys next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Flash Effects**

**Summary:** Before classes start for Fuji, Atobe, and Shiraishi, Fuji finds out something no one can predict. Then, all kinds of problems start popping up.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Tezuka x Atobe, Chitose x Yukimura

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

This chapter pretty much reveals more of the main plot. I seriously suggest you read it, if you want to know anything that will be going on in the rest of the story. xD;; Again, I don't know much about college, so don't yell at me. Not that anyone has yet, though. I was just saying. Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy!

**Chapter 4:**

After Fuji's first two classes, he was tired again. He just wanted to go back to Shiraishi's room and rest. He still had to go to Photography, though, before he even had a chance to go to lunch. Photography was his favorite class, though, even though he didn't know anyone in the class. The professor was nice, and everyone in the class was serious about what they were doing. It provided and challenge that Fuji was lacking throughout junior high school and high school.

Today was the day that the teachers said they would assign a project. The second day of classes, and already a project? If Fuji wasn't so caught up in what was happening with Tezuka and Atobe, he would've enjoyed it. But there were already too many things going on in his life right now, and a project was the last thing he wanted to work on.

He walked into his classroom. About half of the class was there, like normal. Fuji didn't like being the first person to arrive in the classroom, because then he felt kind of funny. It made him feel like people in the hallway were staring at him and thinking that he didn't have any friends to walk with or something. He didn't like to be the last one in the classroom either, though, since then when he went to sit down, he knew that people would be looking at him.

He just went and sat down in a seat in the back corner of the room. Normally, he would've chosen one near the wall, but still closer to the front, but today, he just wanted to be left alone.

During class, the teacher lectured them for a while. She was just telling the class about cameras, and all the parts and pieces of one. Of course, Fuji already knew all that stuff. Why were they teaching it again? People who applied for this college were serious about what they wanted to do, and they were probably already advanced in their skill. Yet some people were still looking at her and nodding every once in a while. Fuji almost smiled. Almost. Either they were trying to be teachers' pets, or they were just amateurs with luck.

Finally, she came to the part that Fuji wanted to listen to. The part about the project. "This project will be your first of the year, obviously," she was saying. "It will have something to do with a mythical creature, but the project is pretty individualized."

Individualized? What did she mean by saying that? Fuji sat up a little higher in his seat. This may be interesting, after all.

"Individualized meaning that every pair working on the project will have a slightly different assignment, but they will all revolve around the same thing. You're supposed to work with people majoring in different areas than you, or maybe the same and every combination will have a specific project. We have thought this out very thoroughly, and we've done this project were ever year we've been here. Every problem has been reported, and we've fixed it for the coming years. You don't have to worry about a thing."

Someone sitting about four seats to the right of Fuji raised her hand. "Will we get to choose our partners?" she asked.

"Oh, there's one thing I forgot to mention about that," the professor said. "_You will all be working with your roommates_."

---------------------------------

Atobe didn't believe it. He just didn't believe it. Here, he had to work on a project with another person, and of course, it just _had_ to be his roommate. His ROOMMATE. The one who _hated_ him. The one who didn't want to ever see his face again. The one who had a lot of friends who absolutely despised him, too. It might be the first project that Atobe was going to fail on. This was going to be absolutely _thrilling_.

The professor told everyone to line up at his desk to tell him who their roommate was and what project they would be assigned. It was finally Atobe's turn. "My roommate is majoring in photography," Atobe said.

The professor said, "Okay, then, you and him will be doing a project where he will have to take a picture of a scene. Your job is to edit a mythical creature into it and make it look as real as you can."

It didn't sound difficult, Atobe thought. At least, for the main part, they wouldn't have to work together. The hardest part about it was the working-with-Fuji-Syusuke part. "Does the creature have to be completely edited in? Or, let's say, if you want to do a unicorn or something, could you just get a picture of a white horse and add a horn to it?"

"You can just add horns to it, if you want. But good luck finding a white horse in the city of Osaka," the professor said.

"That's probably not the project I'm going to do," Atobe said.

"That's good, because I bet a ton of people are going to do something that has to do with unicorns. Especially the girls."

Atobe laughed and thanked him. He took his bag and started to leave for the cafeteria. The professor called him back. "You're Atobe Keigo, right?" he asked.

Atobe nodded.

"Oh, then I have something else to tell you." Great, Atobe thought. "You're rooming with Fuji Syusuke, right?"

Atobe nodded again.

"I'm sure you know of the…accident that happened to the boy across the hall from you. His roommate was left without a partner, and since both you and he are graphic designers, the professors thought it would be best if the three of you worked together on a project."

Atobe nearly paled. Working with Shiraishi and Fuji? Who both hated him? The news just got worse and worse, didn't it?

---------------------------------

Shiraishi, at the same time, was paling as well. He had just found out the news that the project would be that the partners were roommates. Atobe…and Fuji? Would they be okay? And he was worried about himself. He didn't have a roommate. He didn't mind that, but not having a partner for this project might prove to be a problem.

He raised his hand. "Professor," he said. "I don't have a roommate."

The professor looked at him, as did the rest of the class. "You must be Shiraishi Kuranosuke, right?" she asked. He nodded. "Ah, then I have something planned out for you." He sighed. "Come to my desk after class."

Shiraishi waited out the rest of the class while the teacher answered the other students' questions. He was wondering who his partner would be. Finally, the teacher dismissed the class. Shiraishi took his bags and walked up to her desk, which was in the back of the room.

"Okay, Shiraishi, I think I have your plans here somewhere…ah." She took out a little note and read it. "You're going to be working with the two boys across the hall form you, in room 1313."

Shiraishi blinked. Did he hear that right? He would be working with Atobe and Fuji? He would be working with _Atobe_ and _Fuji_? Atobe **and** Fuji? This might be a problem. But he nevertheless thanked the professor and walked out the door.

Walking down the hall, Shiraishi thought about what he had just found out. He couldn't decide if it would be better or worse with him in the group. It would probably be better for him, since he would rather have a partner (or partner_s_ in this case) than not have one. But the only problem was that he was sure Fuji wouldn't want to work with Atobe, and Atobe probably didn't want to work with Fuji either.

Shiraishi himself had nothing against Atobe. Well, maybe that was an understatement. He actually had _everything_ against Atobe for hurting Fuji, but if he _had_ to, he would work on the project with him. Shiraishi obviously wouldn't mind working on the project with Fuji, since they were boyfriends and they were close. But both of them at the same time?

---------------------------------

Fuji really wanted to make this project work out. But he didn't know how he would do it. After finding out that he would be working with Atobe, he almost fainted. If he had fainted, finding out that he was working with Shiraishi, too, would've brought him back.

He wanted to do well on the first project of the year. He did _NOT_ want to work on the project with Atobe, though. He couldn't forgive him for what he had done. Fuji knew that it was partly Tezuka's fault, too, but Atobe was the one who had kept it a secret. Fuji sighed. Today was going to be a long day.

He was glad, though, that it was lunchtime. He was standing in the cafeteria now, looking for Shiraishi. He saw him, waving his hand eagerly. Fuji walked swiftly over to the table.

Shiraishi started to say, "Did you hear about—"

"The project?" Fuji finished. "Of course. I'm glad I'm working with you, but Atobe…"

"Yeah, I was worried about that, too," Shiraishi said. "You two—" He was again interrupted as a hand came down onto their table lightly. "Oh, hello, Atobe. We were just talking about you."

"Were you?" he said nonchalantly.

"Yeah. You heard about the project, I presume?" Shiraishi said.

"Of course." Atobe sat down at their table. "How are we going to make this work?"

"I'm not working with _him,_ and he's not working with me," Fuji said.

"You two have to pull this together and work on this project," Shiraishi said. He knew it wasn't going to work the first time, though.

"Let's try not to," Atobe said. "This isn't going to work. Neither of us wants to work on the project with each other."

"And I'm not going to do the project with Kuranosuke and have Atobe get the A without doing anything," Fuji said.

"And neither am I."

"Fine then. I'll go to my next classes and see if you guys change your mind by then. I'll see Syusuke the class after 4-D Design. I hope you guys rethink this," Shiraishi said. He got up and walked out of the cafeteria.

Atobe and Fuji sat at the table alone. Fuji threw a glance and Atobe. He could tell that he was really trying to make this project work, but he also didn't want to work with Fuji. He saw this torn look in Atobe's face. It was the same look that he had seen Atobe have many times since they moved to the college.

Atobe suddenly got up. He held out a hand to Fuji to help him up. Fuji looked up at him. His face wasn't happy, and it looked like he was forcing himself, but it was a step. Fuji took Atobe's hand.

Fuji's hand was soft, Atobe thought. He quickly shook the thought off. He didn't want to have those feelings come back to him. He was already tangled in too many messes to deal with another one.

Fuji could really mess with people, Atobe realized. Whether he wanted to or not. Fuji could leave anyone with any feeling that he wanted to, and even if he didn't want anything, he still left an impression on the people that he conversed with. That was a skill that Atobe also had. The only difference was that Atobe couldn't make people feel what he wanted them to feel, and Fuji could.

---------------------------------

His last two classes except for the evening one was over. It was afternoon now, and Atobe had just come back from his last class. Right now, he was lying in his bed alone. He picked up his cell phone and dialed a familiar number. The number who was owned by the one who had been the one to cause this mess (besides himself, of course).

"Hello?" Tezuka voice rang through the phone.

"Kunimitsu?"

"Keigo. More problems?"

"Unfortunately, yes. This one's pretty serious, if I want to graduate from this school," Atobe said and sighed.

"Alright, what is it?"

"Project. Partner. Roommate," Atobe said. Three words and Tezuka would be able to understand it. With his situation, though, most people who be able to understand it.

"And I suppose Shiraishi is working with the two of you as well?"

"How did you know?"

"If he wasn't, you probably would've torn each other's heads apart by now," Tezuka said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Right."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. Which is why I called you."

"You want me to figure this out for you? It's your problem."

"Um, hello? You're the one who cheated on Fuji."

"And you're the one who kept it a secret."

"Well, I don't want you to figure it out; I just need your help."

"With what? What could I possibly help with? You're the one who doesn't want to do the project."

"No, wrong. That's _Fuji_. He's the one that doesn't want to do it."

"And neither do you, I'm assuming."

"This isn't exactly helping."

"So, basically, you want me to try to convince both you _and_ Fuji to do the project."

"Not Fuji, just me. Fuji probably won't want to talk to you. He's only talking to his Osaka friends right now."

"Which is pretty much everyone except for you and I."

"You didn't have to put it that way, but I guess it's true."

"I guess the only thing I can say is to try to get it together and work on this project. This is your first one of the year. You don't want to leave a bad first impression. The decision is all yours, but I think you should definitely do it."

"That didn't really help, but thanks anyway."

"Mhm. Love you."

"Love you, too. Bye."

---------------------------------

"I don't want to do the project, but I also want to at the same time," Fuji said.

"You just don't want to do it with Atobe," Shiraishi said.

"Yeah, that's true, too. I really want to do well, though. But I can't forgive him."

"I don't blame you. I wouldn't be able to, either.

Fuji blinked. "Neh, Kuranosuke, have you ever had anyone lie to you before?"

"Of course. But normally when people lie to you, you don't figure it out ever. Even in movies and stories, the protagonist normally figures it out, that's not the way it is in real life."

"But has it been anything serious before? That you've figured out?"

Shiraishi sighed. "Yeah. It was pretty serious, but not like your's."

Fuji sat up. "Can I hear about it?"

"Of course. It involved me…and Senri."

Fuji's eyes opened. "Really? You two…"

"Yeah, at a time. But we broke up after a while; when we realized that we didn't really love each other."

"But what was the lie?" Fuji asked.

"I guess it was that when we called each other and stuff, we would always say that we loved each other, when we really didn't."

"I'm so sorry, Kuranosuke. How can you talk about something like that so easily? It's just like Tezuka and I…"

"I guess it was because we just liked each other as friends. I didn't feel your extent of sadness when we broke up."

Fuji felt a tear streak down his cheek.

"Syusuke, don't cry," Shiraishi said. He wiped the tear off with his finger.

"I can't help it," Fuji said.

"You're crying for me…that's just like you, Syusuke," Shiraishi said quietly. He leaned over and kissed his boyfriend on the lips.

* * *

Yay, fluffleness. :D Anyway, please review! 


	5. Chapter 5

**Flash Effects**

**Summary:** Before classes start for Fuji, Atobe, and Shiraishi, Fuji finds out something no one can predict. Then, all kinds of problems start popping up.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Tezuka x Atobe, Chitose x Yukimura

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter! Yukimura appears in this chapter, finally, and a new pairing is revealed, kind of! So please read, review, and enjoy! I'm not getting that many reviews, but thanks to the people who have already reviewed. I'll continue uploading this story for you guys:)

**Chapter 5:**

Fuji woke up with the thought that he would have to go to classes, but then almost hit himself in the face, because it was Saturday. The only reason he didn't was that his arms were around Shiraishi, and he didn't want to let go. He hugged Shiraishi closer to him, and Shiraishi's arms, which were around Fuji's waist, also tightened.

"Awake?" he said quietly. Fuji nodded and huddled himself against Shiraishi's chest. "When are we going to play tennis with Senri and the others?"

Fuji then remembered what he was going to do. "I can't go today; I have something I need to do. Well, I can go in the evening."

"What is it that's so important?" Shiraishi asked Fuji. He leaned his face closer to his, so that they were only centimeters apart. Fuji blushed.

"I planned to go on a lunch date with one of my friends later today," Fuji replied.

"Who is it?"

"Yukimura Seiichi from Rikkaidai," Fuji said.

"Oh, the former captain of the school that swept ours in the Nationals a while back."

Fuji cringed.

"Yes, yes," Shiraishi went on. "He's worthy."

Fuji sighed. "Don't scare me like that. I probably would've gone with him anyway."

"Yeah, that sounds like something you would do."

There was a relaxing silence. Shiraishi got up. "Okay, then let's get you ready to go. We woke up late today, anyway. There have been too many days of waking up early."

"I kept waking up in the morning, but you kept making me go to sleep again."

"How?"

"I don't know. I would just lie there, and after laying long enough and being nice and cozy, I would start to feel sleepy again."

Shiraishi extended a hand to Fuji, who gladly took it and was pulled up on his feet. "You want to wear something of mine?" Shiraishi asked. "Since you're not going into your original room, right?"

"Right. At least you wear the same kind of clothes as me. I'm not so sure about the size, though. I think the shirts will be fine, since I can always wear shirts that are slightly big for me."

"I might be able to find a small pair of khaki pants or something," Shiraishi said.

"That will be good, then." Fuji opened the closet door and turned to look inside. "Did you pack your entire wardrobe or something?!"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Wow. Just wow."

Fuji threw on the best looking yet still casual shirt he could find. It was just a plain white collared shirt, with some pants that were slightly too small for Shiraishi. Fuji asked why he brought them.

"I have no idea," Shiraishi replied. "Now go to your little lunch date. You don't want to arrive late."

"Okay. I'll see you later then," Fuji said as he headed out the door, camera in hand.

Fuji stumbled out the door and into the arms of Yukimura who swiftly caught him. "Sorry about that," Fuji said. "I must've tripped or something."

"It's fine," Yukimura replied, smiling. He looked just like he did the last time Fuji saw him. Blue wavy hair, medium length, smiling and gentle, but scary when he wanted to be.

"So why did you accept my invitation anyway? You had to come all the way out here to Osaka," Fuji said.

"Oh yeah, you didn't get the news. I moved here," Yukimura said.

"Really?"

"Yep."

"How far is your house from the school campus?"

"Not too far, actually. It's near Chitose's apartment."

Fuji blinked. "And how do you know where that is again?"

Yukimura stopped walking and leaned in closer to Fuji's face. Fuji felt his face heat up almost instantaneously. "Secret reasons," he whispered and pulled back again. "But why did you invite me in the first place?"

They started walking again, and now they were at the place Fuji had intended to go, a small café across the street from a pleasant looking flower shop (1). "It's something about college."

"And you're going to ask me?" Yukimura asked. "You know I don't know much about art."

"It's not about that." The two boys walked into the café and sat down. They ordered some drinks. "You see, Atobe—"

Yukimura then cut him off. "Oh man, I thought he would last longer than that. But I guess I shouldn't underestimate you. You _are_ Fuji Syusuke, after all."

"What?" Fuji said. "You knew?"

"Of course I knew."

"Are you saying that a lot of people knew?"

"No, I was the only one. Except for Tezuka and Atobe himself."

"Why didn't you tell me? After all those times we talked on the phone about them and stuff."

Yukimura sighed. "I knew you were going to ask."

"Who wouldn't?"

"Well, here's my answer. If Atobe was planning to tell you, I thought he should do it himself. He needed to be taught a lesson. And this is his consequence."

"Then you—!"

"Yes, I knew about it the entire time. Didn't we already go over this?"

"You…why didn't you…" And then Fuji ran off.

"Fuji, wait!" Yukimura shouted. He got up and almost ran into the lady who was serving them. She had come back with their drinks. Not the best time, he thought. He mumbled a quick but polite apology, and ran off after Fuji.

----------------------------------

Fuji ran into the bathroom and leaded against the wall by the sink. He felt his cheek. Wet. He was crying. Why was he crying? Why did he want to think about Tezuka?

Suddenly, Yukimura ran in. "Fuji!" he walked swiftly over to the tensai. "Fuji, are you okay?" He expected the shorter boy to turn away, but instead, he didn't move. He just gazed at Yukimura.

Yukimura looked at Fuji's tear-stained face gently. He stroked the remaining tears away. "Why didn't you tell? We're friends."

"Atobe…he should've told himself. It was his fault for not telling you to begin with. Both Tezuka and Atobe are to be blamed for this mess. You're the one caught in the middle. I don't think that's right. And besides, if I had told you, you probably would've dumped the blame on me."

"I don't think so. It's not your fault."

"Fuji." Yukimura looked at him hard. "When people hear bad news, they tend to release their anger on the person who delivered the news, even though it may not be the person's fault. It's just human nature." He then looked down. "If it had been the other way around, and you had told me bad news like that, I think I would've gotten mad at you, too."

Fuji looked up at Yukimura. "I see." He wiped his face and smiled sadly. "There's just one more problem, then."

"More? You're in this mess deep."

"Yeah, I'm sorry for getting you involved. The professors of all the departments have recently assigned a project. And I mean recently as in yesterday."

"Is that bad news for you? You're a genius. Especially when it comes to art."

"Yeah, but the problem is, I have to work with Atobe and Kuranosuke on the project."

"Shiraishi isn't bad, since you two are dating, but Atobe might prove to provide some…turbulence."

"Yeah. How are we going to pull this together? I want to do the project, but at the same time, I don't want to."

Yukimura seemed to be in deep thought for a moment. "I think you're just having a lot of trouble forgiving Atobe. And I can seriously understand that. Your heart can't let him off the hook that easily. But your mind keeps telling you to forgive and forget. It keeps telling you to move on."

"Atobe once told me that if your mind and your heart aren't saying the same thing, neither of them is right."

"When was that?"

"Right when we moved into college."

"He must have predicted this ending, then, and tried to warn you early."

"Then why didn't he just say it straight to my face?"

"I guess he just couldn't."

"But how can neither my mind nor my heart be right? Those are the only two options I have. Don't forgive, or forgive and forget."

"There has to be another way."

They two walked back to the table and sat in silence. Their drinks had been delivered, but neither of them was feeling the least bit thirsty or hungry at that moment.

"So tomorrow, or this evening, we're going to play tennis. You want to join us?" Fuji asked, changing the subject.

"By 'we', who do you mean?"

"Kuranosuke, Senri, Kintarou, and myself."

"Ah, I'll come, then."

Fuji smiled. "That's great! I don't think I would've let you say no, anyway."

Yukimura smiled back. "I don't think I would've said no. But that makes an uneven number. How are we going to play?"

Fuji thought. That might really be a problem. "I'm not sure."

Yukimura smiled again. "I have a proposition."

"What is it?"

"Do you think we could bring Atobe along?"

Fuji's eyes opened. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'm not the one that hates him, anyway. He hurt you, though, and that's inexcusable. But maybe that would help straighten things out."

"O—Okay." Fuji sighed. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe Yukimura was right.

When Yukimura and Fuji got back to the campus, Yukimura stopped Fuji before bidding his goodbyes. He leaned down towards Fuji, stopping only a few centimeters away. Was he going to kiss him? But finally, after Yukimura stared at Fuji for a long while in that awkward position (Fuji wondered what people passing by thought), Yukimura whispered, "Forgive, but do not forget."

Fuji blinked, and in an instant, Yukimura was gone. He hadn't thought of that alternative. Maybe, there still was a chance.

He walked to Shiraishi's room and walked in, since Shiraishi had left the door open. He opened it to find his boyfriend on the computer, tablet in hand, drawing. He looked so focused, and Fuji smiled. He just stood at the door for a while watching him draw.

When it looked like Shiraishi was less absorbed, Fuji took a step towards him and he heard. He looked up and smiled at Fuji. He got up from his seat and walked over to Fuji, picked him up, and kissed him. Fuji leaned in to Shiraishi's touch.

"So how was the date with Yukimura?" Shiraishi asked.

"Okay," Fuji replied. "He taught me a valuable lesson."

"Will it help with your current situation?"

Fuji tried to shrug, but he found it difficult, since he was still cradled in his boyfriend's arms. "I hope so. That was the main reason I asked him to see me, anyway," Fuji said.

"No inside reasons I hope?" Shiraishi said.

"Of course not," Fuji said and smiled. "I think he's dating someone, anyway. I don't know who, though."

"Oh really? We're going to find out, then."

"Of course we will. Let's hope we do today."

"What?"

Fuji leaned up and kissed Shiraishi, who was still holding him. "We're going to play tennis, right? I invited Yukimura to come with us."

"I have no objections," Shiraishi said, to Fuji's relief. "But won't that make an uneven number?"

"Yukimura's…got that taken care of," Fuji said and looked down.

"Atobe's coming?" Shiraishi asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, maybe it will help clear up this mess."

"Yeah, I hope."

----------------------------------

Fuji walked with Shiraishi, Chitose, and Kintarou to the tennis courts. They were located at a park just around the corner from Chitose, Kenya, and Kintarou's apartment. The sun was just about setting, and there was no wind. The weather was nice and cool, and the air was dry. It was the perfect day to play.

Fuji glanced at the courts and saw the boy that he had seen back during his first days in Osaka playing tennis on the single court (there were four courts and a single court, separate from the others. Strangely, there was no one playing on the four courts. But it was a good thing, since they had a large group. Yukimura had already arrived and was sitting on a bench between two of the courts, smiling at them. Beside him sat Atobe with a straight face on. Fuji figured it was because he wasn't so thrilled to play with Fuji, but he wanted to play tennis.

"Hey, Yukimura, Atobe," Chitose greeted for all four of them. Fuji figured that Yukimura's house was closer to Chitose's than he had thought. He still wanted to know the 'secret reason'. But now wasn't really the time.

"So how are we going to figure this out?" Shiraishi asked. "Who's playing doubles and who's playing singles?"

"I've got it taken care of. Spin your racquet, and if it lands smooth, you're singles, and rough is doubles," Yukimura said.

"That's a good idea." So the group each spun their racquets and looked at the butt of the racquet.

Shiraishi's was the first to land. "Smooth. I'm singles."

Fuji's was next. "Rough. Doubles."

Next was Yukimura's. "Rough. I'm doubles, too."

"Smooth! I play Kura-chan!" said Kintarou.

"That leaves Atobe and Chitose to play doubles," Fuji said. "How are we going to figure out teams?" he asked as Shiraishi and Kintarou walked to the court beside them to start warming up and pulled the dark green mesh curtains so that tennis balls didn't go flying.

"Since Fuji and I landed first, we'll be a team, and Atobe and Chitose will be one," Yukimura said.

"Another great idea," Chitose said. Yukimura smiled at him. "Smooth or rough?"

"Smooth," Yukimura said.

"Rough, we'll serve."

----------------------------------

Fuji sighed and sat down on the bench for a break. He had to think of something because he and Yukimura were down a set. He took his bottle of water and drank from it. Suddenly, he saw a shadow over himself. He looked up, and there was Yukimura, smiling. "I've got a plan."

"You better, since I don't."

"Don't worry, it's good." He leaned down and whispered, "Australian Formation."

Fuji smiled. "That'll definitely throw them, but do you think we can pull it off?" he whispered back.

"We can do anything," Yukimura said. "Rest assured."

"Alright then, let's go!"

Yukimura looked up and saw Chitose staring at him hard. "What?" he said, smiling innocently. Chitose just sighed and walked away.

What was that about? Fuji thought.

----------------------------------

Fuji shifted at the net. He really wasn't assured. He didn't know how much he and Yukimura were in sync. He told himself that he had to be confident. That was the only way. The reason he had pulled off the Australian Formation with Saeki in the Junior Invitational Camp in junior high was the fact that they were confident in each other and themselves. Be confident, he told himself.

And that was exactly what he did. He went left, and miraculously, Yukimura went right. "No way," he heard Shiraishi murmur. "Syusuke and Yukimura have a prefect combination?" Shiraishi and Kintarou had played a one set match, and Kintarou had won. "Barely," he had heart Shiraishi's mutter after the match. "Only seven games to six. You only won because you won the tiebreak."

With the Australian Formation tactic, Yukimura and Fuji were able to come back and win the match, two sets to one, with the help of Fuji's signature moves.

When they went to the net to shake hands with the other team, Fuji grudgingly (though he didn't show it) shook Atobe's hand. He looked over at Yukimura, who's hand was lingering on Chitose's slightly too long. They smiled at each other.

"You guys did well!" Kintarou said. "I can't believe you pulled off the Australian Formation! That was amazing!"

"Like Yukimura said, we can do anything," Fuji said, smiling. He looked at the former Rikkaidai captain, and he was chatting quietly with Chitose. They seemed to be looking at each other more than chatting. Yukimura was smiling and standing close to the taller boy. Almost leaning on his shoulder, Fuji noticed. His smile widened. "Hey, Kintarou," he whispered to the younger but almost taller boy. "You want to help me with something?"

"What?" Kintarou whispered back. He knew that it would be important.

"Help me find out whether those two are dating or not," Fuji said and smiled evilly.

Kintarou smiled the same way back at Fuji. "You got it, Syu-chan." He looked at Shiraishi, who was talking seriously to Atobe. "Are we going to pull Kura-chan into this?"

"Nope. _I'll_ tell him the news."

Meanwhile, Shiraishi was having a conversation with Atobe. One that was serious, and needed attention _right now_.

"Atobe, we need to talk," Shiraishi began.

"About what?"

"What else?" Shiraishi said, slightly annoyed. "The project."

"We're not going to get it together in time," Atobe stated simply, as if it didn't bother him at all.

"This is why you need to cooperate. We have to do well on this. I don't care if you don't care about the project, but I would like to do well. And this is important to Syusuke."

Atobe's eyes flicked across to a smiling Fuji talking to Kintarou. They had a sad glint to them, but he pulled them back to the horizon in front of him in an instant. "What can I do? He's not going to listen to me."

"We'll see about that," Shiraishi said, who looked at Fuji himself. "_Make_ him listen to you. You can explain everything then."

Atobe paused for a moment and continued to walk on in silence. His expression was troubled. After a long while of listening to the shuffle of his group's feet, Shiraishi finally hear Atobe say, "Fine. I'll do it for Fuji's sake."

* * *

(1): Does anyone get the reference to my YukiFuji story, "A Liking to Flowers"?

I hope you like this chapter. It's shorter than the last one, obviously, but I happen to like it. Mainly because everyone is together, and I love to write everyone being together. They all have the coolest personalities! Anyway, please review.


	6. Chapter 6

**Flash Effects**

**Summary:** Before classes start for Fuji, Atobe, and Shiraishi, Fuji finds out something no one can predict. Then, all kinds of problems start popping up.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Tezuka x Atobe, Chitose x Yukimura

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

Yaaaaay! We're finally at, like, the climax of the story!!!!! Thanks for bearing with me, everyone! And thank you to my dea reviewers, of course. I may not get as many reviews as, say, a Tezuka and Fuji story, but the reviews I do get, they touch my heart dearly. Okay, no more sappiness! On with the story...which might have sappiness, too:D Please read, review, and enjoy!

**Chapter 6:**

Fuji heard a knock on his door. Well, actually, it was Shiraishi's door, since he was staying in his boyfriend's room. His boyfriend, who was currently at an extra-curricular class.

Fuji opened the door to find Atobe standing there. "What do you want?" Fuji asked him.

"I need to talk with you," he replied.

"Well, I don't need to talk with you," Fuji said smartly. He started to close the door, but Atobe stopped it with his hand, which was surprisingly strong. Fuji let his grip go and let the other boy come into the room.

They both sat on the bed. "Listen, about Tezuka, I'm sorry," Atobe said.

"Sorry won't make up for what you've done," Fuji said. "You ruined my life. I know it's partially Tezuka's fault, but you didn't tell me. Why is that, Atobe? Why didn't you tell?"

Atobe looked at Fuji. He was keeping a straight face the entire time. He's strong, Atobe thought. "I didn't want to deal with you when my life was already perfect."

"So you just wanted to make your life perfect at the expense of someone else's. That's so sick, Atobe," Fuji said. "Yukimura knew, you knew, Tezuka knew, and yet, none of you three told me. They say it's _your_ fault. They say that _you_ needed to be taught a lesson. They say _you're_ the one who needed to tell me."

"They're right," Atobe said and sighed. "I'm sorry. It's my fault."

"It is," Fuji said. "It is your fault. You and Tezuka are at fault. But you say you didn't want to deal with me. Three years ago, when I transferred to Hyotei, I thought that maybe the people there, even though they may all be rich bastards, maybe, they would be more honest than the people at Seigaku.

"I went on believing that for three years, and everyone proved that they were honest. Until now. You, one person, has been lying to me for three years. Atobe, not saying anything is the same thing as lying. I have been living a lie. Or I have been living in darkness."

"Fuji, I know," Atobe said. "I thought that when I told you, you would have made my life a living hell."

"It would've probably been better if you'd have told me then, not now," Fuji said. "Then, the only fault you had was the fact that you stole my boyfriend and my life, but now, your faults are one more. You have lied to me, and kept me living in darkness, not knowing anything about it."

"Fuji," Atobe said, "can't we just forgive, forget, and move on?"

Fuji blinked and stared at him with a hard gleam in his eyes. "You think I can forget that easily?" He looked out the window, the other direction. "Forgive, but don't forget. That was what Yukimura told me just yesterday."

"You don't have to forget and forgive at the same time. Wait until the forget part takes its natural course," Atobe said. "You don't have to ever forget if you don't want to." He looked down. "I know I wouldn't."

Fuji looked at Atobe. They sat in silence for a while, thinking about what they had each just said to each other. After a while, Fuji finally said, "Thanks. Thank you a lot."

Atobe looked at Fuji, surprised. "You're welcome," he replied.

Just as Atobe left, Shiraishi walked in. "Well," he said, "That was short."

Fuji looked up. "What happened to your 'extra-curricular activity'?" he asked, eyeing his boyfriend sarcastically.

"It…fell over and died?" Shiraishi said.

Fuji rolled his eyes. "How did you know?"

"How did I know? He did it at my command," Shiraishi said.

Fuji's eyes were now downcast. "You mean he didn't do it willingly?" he asked in a small voice.

"He did it willingly, but not on his own time," Shiraishi replied.

"Oh," was all Fuji said.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told you that," Shiraishi said quietly. "Sorry."

Fuji looked up and smiled. "No, I thank you for telling me. I wouldn't want to be hearing any more lies." Fuji's cell phone rang at that moment. Fuji looked at the screen, and it said 'Kintarou'. He smiled and answered it. "Hello?"

"Syu-chan!!!!!" Kintarou's happy voice shouted excitedly over the line. Fuji almost had to pull the phone away from his year.

"Yeah?" Fuji said.

"Sen-chan! He's dating Yukimura!!!!" Kintarou said.

"I figured so," Fuji said. "How did you find out?"

"I beat it out of him."

"What?!"

"Kidding! I challenged him to a tennis match of course! And of course I, the great Tooyama Kintarou won! And he told me!"

Fuji laughed. "Your life revolves around tennis, doesn't it?"

"Duh!"

"You're a lot like Mada-mada-kun, then," Fuji said. "Except for the fact that you're a lot more pleasant and easy to talk to. And loud."

"I wonder if I could beat him now," Kintarou said.

"Well then, you'd be better than the #1 pro!" Fuji said. "If you could, I'd be impressed. I mean, if _I_ could, it would be amazing. But I don't think I can."

"Aww, don't think that way, Syu-chan!"

Fuji smiled. "I guess I should just keep dreaming, then." He then said, "I have to go now, tell the couple that I send them their best regards."

"Hey, hey," Shiraishi said. "I don't like to be left in the dark. What's going on?"

Fuji hung up his phone. "It has to do with Senri and Yukimura."

Shiraishi's eyes widened. "No way!"

"Yeah way," Fuji replied. "Don't they make a cute couple?"

"That's funny! I can't believe I never noticed."

"I think they just got together. Probably when Yukimura moved here over the summer."

"Still. How did you know?"

"Yesterday. They were letting their guards down, and Kintarou and I decided to take advantage of that."

"That's my perceptive little Syu-chan," Shiraishi said, smiling.

Just then, Fuji's phone rang again. Fuji thought it might be Kintarou with more news, so he didn't' bother to look at the screen. He smiled and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Fuji?" said a deep voice over the line.

Fuji's eyes snapped open. "Te—Tezuka?!"

Shiraishi stood up and said, "I'm going back to my extra-curricular activity. It seems it has been resurrected," but Fuji was paying no attention to him.

"Why did you call?" Fuji asked with a forced calm voice.

"To talk to you," Tezuka said.

"Why would you need to talk to me? You already have a boyfriend," Fuji said coldly.

Tezuka sighed. "I knew you'd find out at one time or another."

"Everyone says that it's Atobe's fault. Everyone says that it was a lesson that Atobe needed to be taught. But is it really entirely his fault?"

"Everyone?"

"You didn't know?" Fuji asked. "Yukimura knew about it. No one told me, of course," he said sarcastically.

"It was really Atobe's fault."

"It wasn't entirely his fault," Fuji snapped. "You are also to blame! Why did you leave me?"

"It was because I didn't love you."

Fuji's eyes opened. "It was just like…it was just like _their_ relationship, then," he said hollowly.

"_Their_ relationship?"

"Their relationship. Now I know what it feels like, Kuranosuke."

"Fuji?"

"Senri, Kuranosuke, I know how you must've felt. You loved each other at the beginning, but not later on." Fuji laughed wryly. "But I guess my situation is much worse. I clung on to the relationship, and my lover just let go…"

"Fuji?!"

"Neither of you loved each other, but in my situation, one person loved the other, who didn't love him back. I guess this is much worse." Fuji sighed. "And on top of that, there was a big lie involved."

"Fuji!"

"Multiple lies, actually. A lie just like yours, to start off with. Every time he said that he loved me, he was lying. Every time he said that he had to go see his tennis coach, he was lying. And in the end, when he told me he was seeing no one, he was lying. And when the one he was really seeing told me that he also was seeing no one, _he_ was lying."

"Fuji, get it together!"

"Tezuka," Fuji began. "It has been a big lie, hasn't it? I can't believe I didn't realize it before."

Just then, Shiraishi bust into the room. "Not everyone lies to you, Syusuke!" he almost shouted. "Not everyone! There are people that care about you and there are people that know what it feels like to be lied to. They don't want you to feel what they have felt." Shiraishi sat on the bed and put his arms around Fuji. "And yet, there was nothing those people could do to stop this from happening."

Fuji leaned in to Shiraishi's touch. "Why did you leave me, Tezuka? Why did you lie on top of that?"

Tezuka paused. "I didn't love you, Fuji. I did, but that was a long time ago. There was someone else."

"I know that already. Why did you lie?"

"I don't think you would've wanted to speak to me back then."

"I'm speaking to you now. Was it so much to ask?"

"Let's get this straight," Tezuka said. "Fuji, _you're_ the one who transferred. You're the one who didn't call, or even explain. I was left to think it over myself."

Fuji was angry. "You're depending on _me_ to call?! You're depending on _me_ to heal our friendship?! Why don't _you_ take some initiative once in a while?! It's always, 'Oh, it was Atobe's fault,' or 'Oh, it was your fault that you didn't call'. Are you perfect or something?! I think once in a while, it may be _your_ fault, too! Don't you agree?"

"Fuji—"

"Tezuka, I'll never forget this. I can forgive, though. I have the power to. Do you want to be forgiven?"

"Fuji—"

"Tell me, Tezuka," Fuji said quietly. "Do you want to be forgiven?"

There was a pause. "Yes," Tezuka finally said.

"The only way is to just take the blame. Stop placing all the blame on Atobe, because you and I, and even Yukimura, know that it was also your fault. This mess that I'm in. both you and Atobe are to blame. Let me correct myself, this mess that _we're all_ in, both you and Atobe are to blame."

"Fuji," Tezuka said slowly. "I'm sorry."

Fuji smiled through his tears. "Tezuka, did you know that those two words were the two words I've been longing to hear for three years? Did you know that?"

"Yes."

"And yet, you didn't give them to me. You didn't dare speak them."

"I was a coward, Fuji. I ran away from my problems. I ran away from the mistakes. I have a confession to make. When you left Seigaku, I didn't bother to chase after you. That was how I was. And I apologize."

"Thank you, Tezuka. You are forgiven."

"Fuji, those three words were the three words I longed to hear for three years also. But I guess I just depended on you to tell them to me, without me apologizing first. It was my fault that everything fell apart between us, Fuji. Our previous relationship can never be restored."

"Of course not. But I don't want it to be. I think I'm happy now, that this mess is off my shoulders. Thank you, Tezuka. You helped to lift it. And Atobe, and Kuranosuke, and all my friends that have stood by me. They all helped to lift it off, but only you could lift it off completely. Thank you."

"Fuji, I'd like to thank you even more. For everything that I've done to you, and for everything that I've put you through, you still talk to me. You can still tolerate my voice. You can even forgive me. You are strong, Fuji Syusuke. You can forgive easily. You are caring. Don't ever let that trait go."

"Tezuka, thank you. And goodbye."

"Goodbye, Fuji."

Fuji let Tezuka hang up before doing so himself. He hugged Shiraishi, who had been by his side the entire time. "Kuranosuke, I'm so happy."

"I'm glad you're happy, Syusuke. If you're happy, I am. I had this mess with me the entire time. Did you know, Syusuke, that when you're sad or down, it doesn't only affect you? It affects everyone around you. We, Atobe and I included, never like to see you sad. Even people you don't know, if they pass you walking down the street with your face long and your shoulders down, their day isn't as good as it was before. Sadness is contagious.

"But so is happiness, Syusuke. So if you're happy, we're all happy. Nice things, kind things that you say or do to people, have an effect on you, the people receiving the act of kindness, and everyone who witnesses it. So, Syusuke, please try not to be sad anymore. No one can be happy all the time, but if you're sad, you're free to show it. You can take off your mask, because we'll all be here for you."

Fuji smiled. "Thank you. Thank you so much for bearing with me all this time. Sometimes, I might have been moody, or sometimes I may have been disagreeable, but you have stayed by my side and helped me through this tragedy." He looked out the window. "I wonder what would've happened if I had met you long ago. Would this mess have been resolved long ago?"

"That is something no one will ever know, so don't try to think about it."

"Right. Right now, we have to think about how we're going to get this project done in time. We were assigned it on Friday, and it's Sunday right now. It's due Tuesday. We cut our time in half. How are we going to get this done in half the time? How are we going to make up for lost time?"

* * *

Did you like it? Huh? Huh? Tell me by reviewing:) 


	7. Chapter 7

**Flash Effects**

**Summary:** Before classes start for Fuji, Atobe, and Shiraishi, Fuji finds out something no one can predict. Then, all kinds of problems start popping up.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Tezuka x Atobe, Chitose x Yukimura

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

This part is a lot less dramatic, much to you guys' pleasure, or to your...um...agony? It's basically about finishing the project. But I personally like this chapter, because this was the time to show what I know about art and Photoshop. This chapter was SO fun to write! So please read, review, and enjoy!

**Chapter 7:**

_How are we going to make up for lost time?_ The sentence rang through Atobe's ears over and over. They, meaning Fuji, Shiraishi, and Atobe were currently sitting in Shiraishi's room, thinking over how to get the project done.

Atobe looked over at Fuji. He was talking animatedly to Shiraishi. He still hasn't taken off his mask yet, Atobe thought. He still feels something in his heart, telling him to worry about other people over himself. It will always be there. There is no way of getting rid of it, after this long of a time. Fuji will always wear a mask, whatever people tell him. He will never feel secure.

Atobe looked down. Was it his entire fault? Was he the one to blame for Fuji's current condition? If a normal person looked at Fuji, they would probably be asking, 'What condition?' But if anyone knew Fuji at all, they would know that Fuji wore a mask always. Even when he was truly happy, he didn't let his mask fall entirely.

If he hadn't broken Fuji and Tezuka's relationship, would Fuji still wear this mask? Or did he have it before he started dating Tezuka? They got together in their second year at Seigaku; that much Atobe knew. If Fuji had developed it before moving to Seishun…Atobe felt bad for the younger Fuji. A mask, so that no one could tell what you were feeling, at that young of an age. To be a child is to run around with no worries except for if your mother gave you enough money to buy ice cream. Why would Fuji be worried about if people knew what he was feeling at that young of an age?

But there was also another alternative? What if Fuji had developed the mask when he was dating Tezuka? Would Fuji be worried about Tezuka knowing what he was feeling? Atobe thought about it for a moment. He didn't think Fuji was the type to easily trust people. But that was also part of the mask. Atobe couldn't imagine Fuji without his mask. A free, truly expressive Fuji wasn't the Fuji that he knew. It wasn't the right Fuji.

Maybe that was something that was just meant to be. It was something that Atobe would never know, anyway.

"Ah, I thought of it!" Fuji said suddenly, pulling Atobe from his trance. "Atobe, you have to hear about this." He smiled at Atobe, who smiled back. He didn't know at first _why_ he smiled back. Maybe because smiles were contagious. Especially Fuji's smiles. Smiles that looked so pure and true.

He also smiled because he was grateful. He was grateful that Fuji forgave him and that he could so easily smile at him that way. Fuji was strong, Atobe thought, and he was such a caring person, if you didn't get on his bad side. Fuji's personality just attracted people to him, and he could so easily forgive, but he couldn't forget. Inside, he still remembered all the things that happened, but he just let it go for now, knowing that thinking about it won't help at all. That was what strong truly was, Atobe thought.

Fuji turned to Shiraishi. "Kuranosuke, remember the first day of school when you found me on the balcony in the rain?" Shiraishi nodded. "Atobe, you were at a class or something. But anyway, I had brought my camera out. I don't know what was controlling me, since I know that I wasn't controlling myself then. That time, I had taken a great picture of the moon. It was perfectly in focus, and it was the perfect brightness and such. We could use that as a basis for our project."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Syusuke," Shiraishi said.

"I have my camera right here," Fuji said and smiled. He moved his hand to his camera, which was by his side.

"That's my wonderfully prepared Syusuke," Shiraishi said. "Let's see that picture."

Fuji turned on his camera and turned the little knob on the top to the little play icon. The two other boys crowded around Fuji. The first picture was the picture they were looking for, of course, since with all the drama, Fuji hadn't used his camera much at all.

Atobe looked at the picture and gasped. It was _beautiful_. It was absolutely stunning, much like Fuji himself. "It's great. I love it. It's so perfect. I can't believe you took that, Fuji. It's like a professional photograph," Atobe said.

"Thanks! Though I can't really claim that I took it. I didn't really know what I was doing then," Fuji replied.

"Well, it had to be something in you that made you take it," Shiraishi said.

"What are we going to do about the mythical creature part, though?" Atobe asked.

"Well, I just said this would be a basis. I don't really know what we're going to do for that part," Fuji said. "But I do know that teachers are suck-ups to morals and themes. If you include a moral to your story, art piece, etc, teachers will love it. Especially morals that will teach you something in life."

"Wow, you know a lot about this, Fuji," Atobe said.

"Well, I did take art classes and photography classes. When the teachers assigned projects, I got a better grade if my project had a moral to it than if it was just random or if it had a dark theme."

"You, a dark theme? You don't seem like the type," Atobe said.

"Yeah, that brings me to another point. If you create a piece that reflects your own nature and your own thoughts and personality, the teachers and professors seem to like that, too."

"Let's brainstorm," Shiraishi suggested. "When I say 'moon', what's the first thing that you two think of?"

"Sun," Atobe said.

"Star," Fuji said.

"Well, they're pretty much the same thing in a scientific sense, but not in an artistic sense, unless they're the subject of your image," Shiraishi said. "What is the sun and stars made of?"

"Fire," both boys said at the same time.

"Right," Shiraishi said. "When I say 'fire', what mythical creature do you think of first?"

"Dragon," Atobe said simply.

"Phoenix," Fuji said.

"Oooh, phoenix, that's a good one," Shiraishi said.

"I agree," Atobe said. "Dragons are kind of cliché, and they don't really represent a moral, nor do they represent either of us. Phoenixes, on the other hand, can symbolize many morals and themes, and I think that all three of us have a phoenix in us. Especially Fuji, with his 'Phoenix Return'."

Fuji laughed. "I think that was the reason I thought of phoenix first."

"Okay then, it's decided. It's going to be a phoenix. What are we going to do with the moral part?"

"Well, you know how the moon reflects light from the sun?" Atobe said.

"Yeah," both Fuji and Shiraishi said, giving him the I-don't-know-what-you're-getting-at-but-I'm-going-to-say-yes-anyway look.

"Well, what would happen if there were no sun?"

"We wouldn't be able to see the moon," Fuji said.

"Exactly. So the theme I'm suggesting is that you can't have the moon without the sun, like how you can't have yin without yang, and visa-versa."

"That's a pretty good theme you have going there, Atobe," Fuji said.

"So we can have the moon in the background, with a phoenix flying around it, and the only part of the moon that's illuminated is the part that is near the phoenix. And maybe we could add some stars in the background for a nice effect," Shiraishi said.

"That's a good idea for an image," Fuji said. "You guys can create a phoenix, right?"

Atobe and Shiraishi looked at each other. "You think we can do it from scratch?" Shiraishi said.

"Wait, my professor said that if you wanted to do a unicorn, you could take a picture of a horse and edit the horn in or something," Atobe said.

"So maybe you could take a picture of something like a peregrine falcon and edit the flames in," Fuji said.

"Yeah, that's pretty good, Syusuke. I thought you said you didn't know anything about computer editing," Shiraishi said.

Fuji shrugged. "I picked up some of it from my time here."

"We could change the hue and saturation to make it orange-ish, too," Atobe said.

"Of course," Shiraishi said. "We can't have a brown phoenix."

"So where are we going to get a picture of the falcon? We can't look up one online, since we have to do this completely by ourselves. This isn't for fun, anyway," Atobe said.

"I think I might have a picture of one in my camera," Fuji said.

"Where do you get all theses pictures?" Shiraishi said. "It's like you randomly snap pictures of random stuff."

"That's what photographers do. And sometimes, some of their pictures might prove useful later. This one in particular," Fuji flipped through the pictures on his camera, "was taken when I was outside a couple weeks ago. I saw this person on a hill hawking. I asked if I could take pictures of his falcon, since I'm a photographer, and he said I could. So of course, I did, and to thank him, I gave him prints of the pictures. He was really impressed." Fuji smiled. "Here are the close-ups."

Again, the two other boys crowded around Fuji to get a look. "Wow, those _are_ amazing. I'd be impressed, too, if I was that man, since you're only a college student," Shiraishi said. "I really like that one, since it looks like it is flying around something with its wings fully spread out."

"If we could edit that picture into the moon picture and change the lighting a bit so that it's coming out from the phoenix to the moon, it would be perfect," Atobe said. "And that's easy enough to accomplish. I say the most tedious thing about this project is cutting out the falcon from the rest of the sky."

"We could just either use the magic want tool or select the blue sky and set the layer fill style to multiply," Shiraishi said. "And of course, clean it up a little. At least there aren't any clouds."

"Okay, _now_ I don't know what you guys are talking about," Fuji said.

"We'll take care of the editing part. You can rest, since you've already done the photography part," Shiraishi said.

"Yeah, and you didn't even have to do any work today except for helping up brainstorm," Atobe said.

"See, this is the good thing about being a photographer. If in need, just search through your previous images," Fuji said and smiled. "But I couldn't go to sleep now. It's only 8:00."

----------------------------------------

"How does it look?" Shiraishi said. Fuji got up from the bed and put down his book. He walked over to the screen where both Shiraishi and Atobe sat. "We just finished the phoenix, and we're going to do the rest tomorrow."

Fuji looked at it, and he almost didn't recognize it as a peregrine falcon anymore. It looked like it was a _real_ phoenix, if phoenixes existed in real life. The flames were flaring out of the phoenix, but not so that it looked messy and unorganized. It looked perfectly clean, and the phoenix itself was stunning. The color of the feathers had been changed, and the shadows and highlights were more drastic. The lighting looked perfect. Everything looked perfect.

"Oops," Shiraishi said. He did something quick with the keyboard and his tablet and said, "There. Now it's _really_ done."

"What did you do?" Fuji asked. "I can't tell the difference."

"Trust me, you would've if it had been on the dark background," Shiraishi said. "There was this little flame sticking out at a random place. The checkered background kind of camouflages it."

"Yeah, don't you hate that?" Atobe asked.

"Yeah. Sometimes I just add a new layout under the rest of them just to see it on a dark background to see if you colored outside the lines or something."

"Colored outside the lines?" Fuji asked.

"Yeah, it's a term I use for the little mistakes that you can't tell by just looking at it normally."

"Well, maybe we all should get to sleep. We do have classes tomorrow, anyway," Fuji suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Atobe said. "You guys have to wake up earlier than me. I'll be heading back. Are we going to meet here at the same time tomorrow?"

"Yep," both Fuji and Shiraishi said.

----------------------------------------

Fuji woke up to sounds in the bathroom. Not again, he thought, but he knew it was just Shiraishi taking a shower like he always did in the morning. It was good that he took his showers in the morning, because Fuji took his at night and they never fought for the bathroom. Fuji sat up and looked out the window. There was a hazy light outside. The sun had already risen, but it was overcast. It made Fuji feel tired, but he knew that he would have to get up today.

He got up and walked over to his own room quietly, careful not to wake anyone he didn't need to. He opened the closet doors and picked out a set of clothes for the day. That night, they would finish the project and turn in a beautiful completed masterpiece. Completed in half the time, too, Fuji thought. He wondered how much better it would've looked if they hadn't wasted half of that time. But he knew it was one of those things he couldn't do anything about, so he just left it.

By the time he got back to Shiraishi's room, Shiraishi had changed and was sitting on the bed, reading the book that Fuji had been reading the day before.

"You read some pretty challenging English books," Shiraishi commented.

Fuji smiled. "I like reading English. Reading Japanese gets boring after a while. English is a challenging language in itself."

"I don't understand what half of these words mean. But I heard it was a good book to read, if you wanted a challenge. 'The Scarlet Letter'," Shiraishi read the title aloud.

"I'm still in the introduction. It's about thirty pages long, compared to the rest of the book, which is only around 180 pages. I can read around a page for every couple of minutes. This book requires a lot of concentration. I've been reading a lot of long English books lately, and I decided to take a break from long ones. This is hardly a break. I think it would take me just as long for me to read this as it would to read 'Wuthering Heights', which is much longer."

"I see what you mean," Shiraishi said. "C'mon. Let's go eat breakfast, and then we'll head to our morning classes." He walked out of the door and Fuji tagged along.

* * *

Did you like it? Well, more like did you get it? xD;; Don't worry, you don't have to get it to like it. Please review! 


	8. Chapter 8

**Flash Effects**

**Summary:** Before classes start for Fuji, Atobe, and Shiraishi, Fuji finds out something no one can predict. Then, all kinds of problems start popping up.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Tezuka x Atobe, Chitose x Yukimura

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

This chapter is VERY long! I think you guys will like this chapter and the next one. They were really fun to write, too. :D Please read, review, and enjoy!

**Chapter 8:**

"So, what are we going to do first, paste the phoenix onto the picture or edit the rain and other stuff out of the picture?" Atobe asked. They were sitting in front of the computer in Shiraishi's room, admiring their work and talking about what to do next. That day hadn't been that busy of a day. In most of the classes, students were working on their projects, and since Fuji's project was on Shiraishi's computer, he just sat and read. Therefore, that night, they weren't really tired.

"I think we should edit the picture first, that way we get a full view of the picture," Fuji said.

"Well, we can always make the layer invisible for the time being," Atobe said.

"But it would be a hassle changing every layer for the bird every single time we want to change the visibility," Shiraishi said.

"Folders?" Atobe said, as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Well…" Shiraishi tried to counter.

"I think it would be best if we pasted the background onto the image to get a general idea of what the final picture will look like. And then we should take the original background and edit it, and then paste the newly edited one onto the background on the phoenix when we're done, and adjust it as necessary," Fuji said.

Both graphic designers looked at him. "What did you mean when you said you didn't know anything about computers?" Shiraishi asked again, as he had done the previous night.

"Well, anyone with a general idea of how any image editing program worked would be able to explain that," Fuji said.

"I'm fine with what he said," Atobe said.

"Same," Shiraishi agreed. "Let's get started, then." They pasted the background image from Fuji onto the phoenix. "The phoenix is a little too big, don't you think?" Shiraishi asked.

"Yeah, but should we make it smaller?" Atobe said.

"There's really no other choice," Shiraishi said.

"I think I know how that happened. When I took a picture of the bird, it fit only on the full screen, and when I took a picture of the moon, it was also full screen, so of course they would be the same size, which isn't proportionally correct," Fuji explained. "Sorry, guys."

"It's okay. You didn't know that you would be using these images for anything, anyway. Let's just save an extra copy of the phoenix, just in case," Shiraishi said. He saved it as a PSD file and went back to the picture. "Is there any way to resize all the layers at once?"

"Yeah, here." Atobe took over the mouse and selected all the phoenix layers with ctrl click. He then used the resize/move tool. "So now we know how big the phoenix is really supposed to be, and we intend to keep it that way, right?"

Shiraishi and Fuji nodded. "So now all that's left is the background editing," Shiraishi said. He went to the other project on the clipboard and clicked it, bringing up the moon image. "I think it's a little too bright because of the light pollution. And the moon is naturally radiant, and it's a little too radiant for my liking."

"It won't be natural, then," Fuji pointed out.

"Well, we already have a phoenix in the picture. I don't think the image is intended to look natural," Atobe said.

"True."

Meanwhile, Shiraishi was increasing the contrast of the different levels so that the difference in the brightness of the moon and the darkness of the sky was greater. Also, more stars could be seen, though the group knew that it would need a lot of work.

"Does it look better?" he asked.

"A lot," Fuji said.

"Now we just have to do the stars, and we'll be done with the stock background. We also have to change it so that the phoenix will look like it's glowing on the background, but we can do that when we paste the background onto the final image," Atobe said.

"Yeah, sure," Fuji said. "I think I'll leave the stars to you guys."

"It won't take that long," both Shiraishi and Atobe said.

--------------------------------

"Syusuke, come here," Shiraishi said. "We want your opinion."

Fuji sat up from his reading position in the bed. He walked over to the computer and took a look at the background. "Wow," he said. "It looks great. I like how you made a lot of the stars different sizes and intensities."

"We just took one star and changed the hue and size a bunch of times to make it look like a bunch of different stars. It isn't really that difficult," Atobe explained. "But we wanted to ask if you thought the number of stars was right or not."

"I think it's perfect. If there were any less, it would look plain, and if there were any more, it would look too busy," Fuji said.

"So we were right," Atobe said. The two graphic designers high-fived each other.

"I'm going to save the background as a different file, then resize it and paste it," Shiraishi said to no one in particular.

When the background was on the photo and the entire thing was done, they stood back to take a look at it. "It looks beautiful. I don't think we could've done any better, even if we had more time," Fuji said.

"I don't think we really rushed ourselves anyway," Shiraishi said. "The teachers gave us a lot more time than necessary."

"It could've been a test to see if we would change it in any way for the worse if we just looked at it too long," Atobe said.

"You always think that way, Atobe." Fuji laughed. "How are we going to get it printed? It's late; do you think the store will still be open?"

"It doesn't hurt to try."

--------------------------------

The three boys walked down the street. It was late, almost ten o'clock, but Fuji knew that if he was with Shiraishi and Atobe, he would be safe. Plus, the shop was only a couple blocks down for the dorm. It was really convenient for the photographers in the school, because they would always be ordering prints and getting new gear.

Fuji, Shiraishi, and Atobe reached the photo shop in time, as they had liked. It looked like they were closing for the day, but they had come in just on time. "Excuse me," Fuji said in his melodic voice. The guy (yes, it was a guy this time) at the counter turned around. He looked like he was in highschool, maybe a junior or a senior. Only a little younger than Fuji.

"Can I help you?" he asked, smiling pleasantly. Fuji smiled, too, and walked up to the counter. Shiraishi and Atobe quickly fell into step with him.

"Before you close up, could you print out one more thing for me?" Fuji asked.

"Sure. What is it that you need printed?" the boy asked.

"Just this one image." Fuji pulled the SanDisk out of his pocket.

"Sure. That won't take too long, then. Just a moment," the boys said and disappeared into the door behind the counter.

"Saa, Kuranosuke, how come we always find ourselves in situations where we just make it in time?" Fuji asked and smiled. Shiraishi held Fuji's hand and squeezed it.

"It _is_ strange, isn't it?" he said. Fuji leaned on to his shoulder and sighed.

"I'm just glad we got this done with. Now the only thing to hope for is our grades."

"That will be a couple days from now, probably. We'll be lucky if we get it by the end of the week," Shiraishi said.

"Then I certainly hope we're lucky."

Atobe glanced at the happy couple. The certainly did look perfect together. They were both pleasant and caring, and both of them loved each other deeply, though they had only been going out for a little while. They looked even better than Tezuka had with Fuji three years ago.

What were these emotions that Atobe was feeling, then? He recognized it as jealousy. Did he still have feelings for Fuji? The fair-haired boy was attractive, of course, but Atobe never knew he could be so mesmerizing. If you thought about him for just one second, he would instantly flood your mind. It was almost like he could control you.

He was truly strong, Atobe thought. He could get anyone to open their hearts to him, but he would keep his distance. Only a select few could get Fuji could open his heart to them, and Tezuka had been one of them. Atobe immediately felt guilty again. Tezuka had been the one that Fuji had opened his own heart and feelings to. But now, looking at Shiraishi and Fuji, Atobe knew that there would be a new relationship. Fuji would definitely open himself up to Shiraishi, and it would be even more than he had with Tezuka. And that would be something Atobe would like to see.

"Here are your prints," the boy said. Atobe looked up again. Shiraishi was carrying Fuji in his arms, since the smaller boy had obviously fallen asleep. Atobe didn't blame him because he was also feeling sleepy. He couldn't fall asleep on the spot like Fuji had, though, since there would be no one to pick him up and carry him. He missed Tezuka.

Shiraishi looked at Atobe for a moment and then looked back at the boy, who didn't seem to be bothered at all by Shiraishi and Fuji. Atobe walked up to the counter, paid, and took the envelope. "Thank you for serving us," he said politely, and they all left the shop.

When Atobe got back to his room, he closed the door and sighed. Shiraishi had the picture currently, and they had all agreed that he would be the one to turn it in. Atobe and Shiraishi had taken a look at it, and it looked absolutely gorgeous. That photography store did some really nice prints.

He really wished Tezuka was there, so that Atobe could show him the picture. Tezuka, he thought, why did I come here when I could've stayed with you? When will I get to see you again?

--------------------------------

Fuji woke up to silence. The sun was just rising over the horizon. He shifted a bit, and the arms around him tightened. He hadn't taken a shower or changed last night, but he felt too comfortable to get up and disturb his boyfriend in the process. He snuggled closer to Shiraishi, who kissed his forehead.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," he said quietly.

"Good morning," Fuji replied.

"You fell asleep in the photo store last night," Shiraishi said.

Fuji blinked awake instantly. "I did?"

"Yep. You were out like a light. I don't understand how you can fall asleep standing up."

Fuji laughed. "I guess I was just so tired."

"I carried you home and put you in bed right away. You didn't wake up once," Shiraishi said. "You're so cute when you're totally letting down your guard."

Fuji smiled. "Thanks." He paused for a moment. "I love you, Kuranosuke."

"I love you, too, Syusuke. I always will," Shiraishi said. "That's a promise." Shiraishi got up and offered to help Fuji up. Fuji took his hand and let him be completely pulled up with no effort on his own part. "Man, Syusuke, I knew you were light, but not _that_ light."

Fuji smiled. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me."

"That I intend to find out," Shiraishi said. He leaned down and kissed Fuji on the lips breathtakingly. After a long pause, he said, "We should be getting ready."

Fuji gasped out a quiet, "Yeah."

--------------------------------

Fuji sat down in his seat calmly. As soon as everyone else in the classroom at taken a seat, the professor started explaining something that Fuji knew he didn't need to pay attention to.

"Fuji Syusuke—" the professor started.

"Halfway down to auto-focus, all the way down to take the picture," he answered simply. He could hear all the chairs turn towards him. He just leaned against his hand casually.

"Yes, that's correct." She kept explaining more things and didn't bother to call on Fuji anymore.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he heard her start talking about the project. "If your partner has it, just say so, and if you have it, come up and turn it in. Fuji heard her list a bunch of name, but after a while, she finally reached his. Even though he didn't' have the actual project, somehow, he still felt nervous. It was really strange.

"Fuji Syusuke," she finally said.

"My partner has it," he said. Those four words; it was finally over with. The entire project was finally done. The first project of the year had finally been completed, through all the struggles and problems that they had faced. It was over now.

Shiraishi walked out of the classroom to find an excited Fuji running towards him. He held his arms out, picked him up, and spun him around. "What are you so excited about?" Shiraishi asked his boyfriend.

"I'm just happy that this entire thing is over," Fuji said. "After everything that it has put us through."

"I think it was really good for us. Imagine what your relationship with Atobe and Tezuka would be right now if the project hadn't so unceremoniously forced us to talk to them," Shiraishi said.

"Yeah, that's true," Fuji replied. "This project helped me in so many ways. I'll never forget it."

"Me neither. It's the first project of college, and it put you and me, and Atobe, through so much these past couple of days. We had to work really hard to get it done on time, too."

Fuji thought for a moment walking down to the cafeteria with Shiraishi. "I honestly don't think I felt rushed with the project, though. Even though we had a time limit and it was for a grade, of course, I felt relaxed when doing the project. I think it's something in me that makes me feel relaxed when I'm doing something that has to do with photography or when I'm around you."

They continued to walk down the hallway. It was a hallway that was only attached to the building on the two sides and it was on the second floor. The walls were all windows. They saw Atobe standing there, leaning against one of the walls and just staring out the opposing window. When they walked by, he didn't even turn his head.

"What's wrong with him?" Fuji asked after they had reached the other building. "He's been like that all day."

"I—I think I might know," Shiraishi said.

"What is it?"

"You know how you and I are always together? And now with Chitose and Yukimura, too," Shiraishi said. "His boyfriend is Tezuka, who is always on travel or in Tokyo, and they never get to see each other."

"So you're saying that Atobe is…lonely?" Fuji asked. He couldn't suppress a laugh as hard as he tried.

"This is something serious!" Shiraishi said.

Fuji continued to laugh. "I know, I just never thought I'd see him like that. It's funny!"

"Whatever, Syusuke. You knew him longer than I did, anyway."

Fuji smiled and looked up at his boyfriend. "Atobe was always an egotistical jerk who thought so highly of himself and was always surrounded by his team. If his team wasn't around him, he'd have hordes of fangirls or something surrounding him. That's the way it always was. But here, of course his team isn't here, and most of the people in this college are too worried about art and their grades to think of Atobe. There are plenty of _other_ good-looking guys. And that's not what he's used to. Plus the fact that we're always together, and we're always expressing our love for each other makes him feel really lonely because he hasn't seen Tezuka in a long time. And now that Chitose and Yukimura are going out, too…"

"Yeah, what your saying is completely true," Shiraishi said. They walked in silence for only a moment before Shiraishi said, "You want to help him?"

Fuji smiled. "I've been waiting for you to ask that."

--------------------------------

"A picnic?" Atobe said, surprised. He had been seemingly minding his own business, just standing there and staring out the window on the other wall of the hallway, and Fuji had approached him. Well, actually, Atobe thought, he hadn't _just_ been staring out the window. He had been thinking about Tezuka who had been on his mind since day one.

"Yeah, a picnic this Saturday. Is there something wrong with that?" Fuji asked.

"No, I was just surprised," Atobe said, telling the truth. "Why would you want to invite _me_ on a picnic?"

Fuji blinked. "Is there something wrong with that?" he asked again. "We're friends now, right?"

Atobe nodded uncertainly. "…Yeah. I'll come. But who else is coming?"

Fuji thought for a moment. "Actually, you were the first one I asked. But I'll tell you who I was planning to invite. Of course, there's Shiraishi and me, who organized the entire thing. And there's you of course. I was also going to invite Chitose and Yukimura, and Kintarou and Ryoma, since I've heard there aren't any tournaments going on right now. I was going to ask Yuushi and Kenya, too, but Shiraishi told me that they had just moved to their college, and it would be best not to disturb them. I went with what he said." Fuji seemed to think for a moment, raking his mind for any forgotten people. "Oh yeah, I knew there was someone I forgot. I wanted to ask Tezuka to come, too."

Atobe looked at Fuji. It wasn't like him to forget Tezuka. It was as if he had done it on purpose, to keep Atobe waiting. What an annoying person, Atobe thought, smiling at Fuji anyway. "Why are you doing this?"

"Well, I wanted to have a get-together, and we're all friends, you know? I haven't seen Tezuka or Ryoma for the longest time. Just to make up for some lost time."

Atobe stared at Fuji. "Fuji, tell me the _real_ reason you're organizing this. I don't want to hear a lie. It's what you've always told me not to do."

Fuji sighed. "Well, I guess I can't fight with that. I don't know if you would consider this invading your privacy or whatever, but Shiraishi and I just noticed you were acting strange since this morning, and we thought you might be lonely, with me always being with him, and now Chitose and Yukimura, too. You know?"

Atobe stood still for a moment.

"See? I know you'd get mad at me. This is why I didn't—" Fuji was interrupted when Atobe threw his arms around the smaller boy.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"No problem," Fuji replied. "I just don't want to see you like that. It makes me feel like I've done something wrong." Atobe released Fuji after a while. "Shiraishi is taking care of Chitose and Yukimura right now. I'm going to call Tezuka in a moment. But I'll see you around sometime! And Shiraishi turned in the project." Fuji walked away. "See you Saturday."

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Fuji woke up on Friday. Today was the day that they were supposedly getting the grade on their project. Fuji was so apprehensive to see his grade. Normally, he got good grades, but this was the first grade for this college, and their odd way of grading things. Fuji was, for the first time in a long while, nervous.

He got up from his own bed quietly and put on a new change of clothes. He had recently moved back to his original room, and Shiraishi and Atobe had told him that he was free to switch whenever he liked.

The last few days had gone by pretty quickly to lead up to this day. He had called Tezuka and had successfully convinced him to come to the picnic. It was a get-together and a celebration. Fuji knew that even if his grades disappointed him on this project, there would still be a picnic to celebrate the healed wounds of the past. He couldn't wait for tomorrow. Shiraishi couldn't have picked a better day.

Fuji's first few classes when by in a breeze. He wasn't even listening to them, nor was he paying attention. He just mindlessly walked through the hallways to his classes with his bag, sat down, and stared out the window. He was half listening, though, because once in a while, a teacher would brave calling on him and having him answer the question completely correct when no one else could.

Finally, he went to his photography class. Okay, time to change into listen-mode, Fuji told himself. This was the class. It was finally time for him to receive his grade. He walked in the door, and about half the students were already there, talking energetically about what they thought their grade should be.

"Students," the professor said as she walked in. "I know you guys are really restless about getting your grades, but you have to listen to this little explanation about our system of grading first, that way, you won't be asking any questions later. Some of you may have anticipated this, but our way of grading is the way that the top student will get the best score, and the bottom one will get the lowest. I know, that sounds simple enough for you, but trust me, we get tons of questions.

"It's different, despite what you may think, than a normal grading system that you were used to all throughout high school and junior high. The basic gist of it is this: the higher your project ranks compared to all the other students' projects, the higher your grade. You might have done very well on your project, but there might also be someone in the class who did better than you, so you won't receive the A+. You might've also done well, but many people in the class did better than you, so you'll probably get around a B-C. Don't' be disappointed or discouraged if you don't get the A+ on your first try. There can only be one 'number 1' anyway, and this system is for all the students to try their best to achieve that title.

"But now that the explanations are over with, I'll give you your grades back." The silence in the room turned to a low murmur as students began whispering to each other once again. The professor didn't seem to mind, though.

When the professor passed by Fuji's desk, she dropped the grading rubric on to it. It was filled with comments in red, but Fuji knew it was just to draw your attention to them. These professors were smart. What he was really looking for was on the second sheet of the rubric. He took a deep breath and flipped the page. On the second page, there was his grade, down at the bottom.

Fuji gasped when he saw it. A+?! Did that mean he, Shiraishi, and Atobe were the best in the entire school? At the bottom, the professor had written, _Fuji, it is VERY rare for a freshman to get the A+ on their first project. I'm very proud of you three. YOU HAVE POTENTIAL. Don't even forget that, and don't ever let it go to waste. On this rubric, I've written a couple comments for you three. Don't ever waste your talent, Fuji, because it just may get you somewhere…you never know. –Dr. Yamada Kenshi_

Fuji smiled. He could wait to tell his friends. He wondered what Atobe and Shiraishi were thinking at that moment. Were they as thrilled as he was? Fuji thought. Of course they would be. They worked as hard on the project as he did. Also, they got the A+ of the school, and they were freshmen! He resolved to ask Dr. Yamada how many other freshmen have gotten the A+ on the first project. He couldn't wait until tomorrow.

* * *

This chapter is finally uploaded! Yay! Aren't you guys happy for the three of them:) Of course they had to get the A+...I can't stand sad endings...or even disappointing ones! Maybe you anticipated it, because that's just the way I am. xD;; Anyway, please review! 


	9. Chapter 9: Last Chapter

**Flash Effects**

**Summary:** Before classes start for Fuji, Atobe, and Shiraishi, Fuji finds out something no one can predict. Then, all kinds of problems start popping up.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Tezuka x Atobe, Chitose x Yukimura

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

Okay, time for the picnic! I'm sure you guys will like this chapter. It includes a couple references to Japanese food...and I don't really know anything about Japanese food, so I looked some up online (you see, I'm Chinese), and tried to make something out of it:) If there are any cultural references that I might've botched, just let me know. Please read, review, and enjoy!

Oh yeah, and here is the return of Ryoma to my story! And Tezuka, of course. And this is the last chapter, so I hope everyone that read 'Osaka' liked this sequel! And I thank all the reviewers and the anonymous readers!

**Chapter 9:**

Fuji woke up (as he had been doing the past few days). It was finally Saturday! It was finally the day that they would all see each other. He had woken up pretty early today, since he was excited. They were all to meet at 10:00 am on the tennis courts of the park by Chitose's house. They would probably play doubles matches first, but Fuji had yet to figure out the teams. But that could be done when they got there.

Right now, he had to figure out what he was going to be wearing. He opened his closet doors. The air was slightly chilly, but it was still warm enough for shorts. He had told all his friends to wear tennis clothes and bring tennis racquets. He had specified for them to bring their _best_ racquets, since these matches were going to be serious. He thought it would be kind of strange to be playing with the No. 1 and No. 2 pros in the world, but they had known each other a long time. There would probably be tons of people crowded around the courts to watch Ryoma and Tezuka.

It was still 7:30 am. Fuji had two and a half hours to do whatever. He would've taken a shower, but he thought it might be useless, since they were going to play tennis, anyway. Fixing his hair might be useless, too, since they were all close friends, and he didn't have to look nice for them. What would he do?

He walked outside onto the balcony quietly, careful not to wake Atobe. He had his camera slung around his neck. Fuji smiled. He started snapping pictures of the rising sun. The sky was pink-ish blue, and the blue parts were the parts that it was still night. The moon was still slightly visible, and that was the main subject of most of Fuji's photos.

He seemed to have a strange attraction to taking pictures of the moon lately. He smiled again. You never know when these pictures might come in handy later, he thought. He heard the door to the balcony slide open. "Good morning," Atobe said. "Taking pictures this early?"

"Of course. Sunrise and sunset are the prime times to take pictures. Especially on a day such as this, where the line between night and day appears blurred," Fuji said. "The moon is still able to be seen."

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Atobe said.

"Yeah," Fuji replied. He leaned over and looked at Atobe's watch. 8:32 already? He had been standing out there for an hour? He looked at the sky. It was beginning to brighten and the cerulean color that the sky was turning was staring to appear. At least he had gotten some pretty good shots, Fuji thought. That was the main importance.

"I'm going across the hall to wake up Kuranosuke," Fuji said. He walked into the warm room, happy to be inside again. The fresh air had been nice. As Atobe walked in, Fuji noticed that he had left the door slightly ajar to let some of the air into the room.

Fuji walked across the hall and knocked on Shiraishi's door. After a couple seconds, he tried the knob, and it was open. When he walked in, he saw Shiraishi sleeping peacefully on the bed. Fuji smiled. His boyfriend looked so gentle when he was sleeping. Then again, most people did. It was almost like Tezuka, Fuji thought. A single tear slid down his cheek, though he was smiling, and he saw a hand reach up and brush it away.

"Did you come to wake me?" Shiraishi asked.

"Yeah. I was thinking we should probably leave at around 9:30 to give us some extra time. Just in case, you know?" Fuji suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Shiraishi got out of the bed and walked into the bathroom. "Just let me take a shower and I'll be right out."

Fuji nodded and swung his legs onto the bed. He reached over on the nightstand and picked up the book he had left there a couple days ago. He really needed to catch up on his reading, and the little time sockets every now and then were good opportunities.

--------------------------------

Fuji and Shiraishi walked down the street, which was still pretty empty at this time of day. It was 9:42, and they were almost at the park. The sun was almost completely up, and the air was still and crisp.

When they got to the courts, they saw someone already there. "Hmm? Who could be here at this time?" Shiraishi said.

"Actually, there are quite a few people who find it wise to play in the morning instead of the afternoon. I was once playing in the morning when I was a kid, and I swung my racquet up and cut my eyelid. It was bleeding all over the place (1). That was a long time ago. Despite that, I still enjoy playing in the morning. Probably because I knew I wasn't really focused when I was playing that day, and I know I'll never do it again." Fuji laughed. "I had to wear a bandage that day, but it was a Sunday."

They were at the tennis courts now, and recognized the two people there as none other than Chitose and Yukimura. "Hey, guys, why are you here do early?" Shiraishi asked.

"We live close, and I couldn't wait for any longer," Yukimura said. "We're just warming up now."

"Are you excited about playing Tezuka and Ryoma?" Fuji said.

"Of course," Chitose said. "There will probably be a lot of people watching, since the #1 and #2 pros are here."

"I've never really thought about how lucky we are to know them personally," Fuji said. "They've improved, though."

"But so have we," Yukimura pointed out. "Are we going to play doubles?"

"Probably. I don't want to take up all the courts. Besides, I don't want the audience just to be watching two out of four matches. So we can't have Tezuka and Ryoma in a team or playing each other," Fuji said.

"Of course they can't be on a team! Then it wouldn't be fair," Chitose said.

Just then, two more people showed up. Coincidentally, it was Atobe and Tezuka, but they were both coming from different directions. They haven't seen each other yet, Fuji noticed. He wanted to see their reactions. He whispered something to the group that was already there, and they all stared at Tezuka, hoping to get a reaction from Atobe. And sure enough, Atobe turned to see Tezuka and leapt into his arms.

"Mada mada dane," a voice said from behind them. Fuji smiled.

"I haven't heard that voice in a long time," Fuji said. He turned around and walked slowly up to Ryoma. They were about the same height now that Ryoma had grown faster than Fuji.

"Fuji-sempai," Ryoma said. He leaned in. "It has been far too long."

In the background, Tezuka and Shiraishi twitched. Chitose walked up to Tezuka. "Maa, the boy has grown to be much more like Fuji than you," he commented.

"I think I've noticed that," Tezuka said under his breath.

Coming to Tezuka and Shiraishi's rescue, Chitose shouted, "So, how are we going to divide the teams?"

"Senri," Yukimura said quietly. "You know I already have that taken care of."

"I just wanted to come to their rescue." Chitose pointed at Tezuka and Shiraishi.

"I wish you hadn't done that," Yukimura said. "I wanted to see how this played out." He laughed and gathered everyone in a group. "After finding out that we were going to play tennis, Senri and I decided to take the initiative to decide the teams. Now all we have to do is decide who's playing who. Here are the teams: Ryoma and Fuji, Tezuka and Atobe, Senri and Shiraishi, and Kintarou and myself."

"The decisions were completely random, up to the last flip of the coin," Chitose added. Everyone laughed.

"Let's spin a racquet. If it's smooth, than you'll be playing Ryoma and Fuji, and if it's rough, you'll be playing Tezuka and Atobe. That way, we won't have the two pros playing each other," Yukimura said. "And audience is no doubt going to show up, and we don't want them to be watching just one match. Senri, Shiraishi, do us the honor."

Chitose spun the racquet. "Smooth," he said. "Ryoma and Fuji."

Ryoma looked at Fuji who looked back at him. "Let's crush them," Ryoma said.

"As competitive as ever, Ryoma," Fuji said. "We're going to take this one."

"You better have improved, Fuji-sempai," Ryoma said.

"Of course I have."

"Three set match, Echizen to serve!" a random bystander that they chose as the referee shouted.

"We really need to get ourselves a referee," Fuji said under his breath at the net. By now, quite an audience had accumulated, even though it had only been a couple of minutes. "Ryoma, I hope your serve has gotten better," he called.

"I hope it's good enough to meet your standards!" He tossed the ball high into the air and swung at it. Fuji couldn't see the speed at which he swung, and he was sorry about that, but judging from the sound that the racquet hitting the air made, Fuji knew it had to be fast.

The ball flew past his head and right onto the service line. Instead of stopping on the ground to spin upwards, it just shot up and to the side, like his original Twist Serve, but a lot faster and harder. Shiraishi didn't even move.

"Wow," Fuji said quietly. "Impressive."

"Isn't it?" Ryoma said and smirked. Fuji walked to the other service box.

"15-0!"

--------------------------------

"Game to Echizen-Fuji pair! 1 game to 0!"

Fuji smiled and walked to the other court. He hadn't even done anything that game. Every ball was just left to Ryoma's serve. This was the game that Fuji would show off himself. And as he was walking to the other court behind Ryoma, he said, "It's my turn to show off now."

Chitose was serving, and Fuji stood at the baseline to return the serve. He almost forgot about Chitose's new 'invisible serve' until he tossed the ball into the air. Fuji had analyzed it in his head the last time during that one game where he was playing on a team with Chitose and had figured out how to return it. He just didn't know if he could do it.

The serve was a lot like a really dramatic version of Fuji's Disappearing Serve. The ball cut out wide when Chitose first hit it, but was somehow pulled back into the service box for a fraction of a second. Then, if it was hit fast enough, people couldn't see it. It would cut out wide again and be pulled back by the same force to drill into the fence as if it were following the same straight path the entire time. If Fuji could get toe the service box in time and hit it just as it bounce up, he could return it. But it would be really difficult with Chitose's speed in the ball as well. He would also have to hit the ball on the far right side so that it would actually hit, because if he tried to hit up the back, the ball would already be curving out of the way.

Chitose hit the ball, and sure enough, it 'disappeared' right off the bat. Fuji ran up to the service line and tried to return the ball just as it hit the ground. He felt the ball hit his racquet, but it framed it. As soon as the ball came in contact with the racquet, though, it became visible again. "Interesting," Fuji murmured as he watched the ball roll off the court.

"15-0!"

Fuji tried his technique again. He swung the racquet even more to his right, and this time, he returned it. He heard the crowd's whispers and he smiled. Perfect, the crowd was focused on him. Surprised, Chitose returned Fuji's shot with a regular down the line shot. Even more perfect. This was his chance. He swung the racquet a particular way that everyone on the court recognized.

"Gatekeeper," Ryoma murmured.

"No…" Chitose said. He tried to return it, but it went flying out.

"Ryoma, meet my Gatekeeper #2," Fuji said. Ryoma turned and looked at him, wide-eyed.

"When did you develop this?" Ryoma asked.

"Just this summer, actually. They've both seen it before, and it hasn't been broken yet." Fuji opened his eyes and smiled. "As long as you can't tell which one I'm going to hit."

Ryoma smirked. "When I said 'have you improved', I wasn't expecting this."

Fuji smiled back. "We're going to take this one," he repeated.

--------------------------------

Sure enough, with a combination of both Ryoma's and Fuji's skills, they won the match 6-1, 6-2. Fuji used the Gatekeeper quite a lot of times, and he also used his set of triple counters and that move that he had stolen from that one boy only a little over a week ago.

When Fuji walked up to the net to shake hands with Shiraishi, he smiled. It felt like it had been so long, but in truth, school had only started Thursday of the week before last week.

"Fuji-sempai, your tennis has improved greatly," Ryoma said.

"I have to agree with his statement," Yukimura said. "I haven't seen that move yet at all, and you just go all out with the modified version. You'd be a great professional tennis player."

Fuji shrugged. "I guess that's just not the path I chose to take."

"As long as you don't let go of tennis, Fuji," Tezuka said. "It has been such a big part of all of our lives." Tezuka and Atobe had surprisingly lost to Yukimura and Kintarou. Amazingly, the winners of that match were a really good doubles team. Fuji, Kintarou, and Yukimura seemed to be two people out of their group of eight that could play doubles with anyone. Since both Yukimura and Kintarou were on one team, they seemed like they had been playing doubles with each other their entire lives.

When the group got back to the picnic site, Fuji almost fell onto the blanket that had been set up for them. He was, despite how he looked, very tired. Fuji wasn't the only one, he thought, as everyone else sat down exhaustedly around him.

"Hey, who brought food?" Kintarou asked. Tezuka put his hand over his mouth.

"I didn't bring any," he said.

"Neither did I," Ryoma said.

"Ah, it's alright. You two are our guests," Fuji said.

"Are you sure?" Tezuka asked.

"Of course. You can't do anything about it now, anyway." Fuji looked into the basket. "I brought three dishes, Kintarou brought three, and Senri, Yukimura, and Kuranosuke each brought one."

"Does he like to cook?" Ryoma asked, pointing to Kintarou.

"Yep! I love to cook! Here, I brought these rolled omelets, tuna salad rolls, and pickled Chinese cabbage!"

"I brought pot stickers, Chinese style cold noodles, and some sushi," Fuji said.

"I brought some rice crackers," Yukimura said.

"I brought fried chicken," Shiraishi said.

"And I brought stir fried chicken and egg over rice," Chitose said.

They took each of their own foods out of the picnic basket, and Atobe, Tezuka, and Ryoma stared. "That is _a lot_ of food," Tezuka commented.

"Yeah, I guess I didn't specify how much to prepare," Fuji said. He smiled. "We can always save the leftovers, anyway."

The group was eating in a comfortable silence. Finally, Fuji broke it. "Ryoma, I noticed that you are a lot easier to talk to and a lot more open." He looked at the younger boy for a moment. "And a lot taller."

Ryoma blinked and the smirked. "Yeah, I guess I am. Fuji-sempai has changed, too. You're less…sadistic?"

Fuji laughed. "Thank you. And Tezuka is also more approachable and amiable. And Atobe is less egotistical."

Tezuka nodded, and Atobe said, "I can't let go of the infamous, 'Be awed at my prowess', though." Everyone else laughed, too.

"Everyone seems to have shifted more to the normal side," Ryoma said. Just then, Kintarou popped a piece of sushi into his mouth and his face turned almost as red as his hair.

"HOOOOOT!!!!!! WASABI!!!!!!!" he shouted. Other people at the park were looking at him. He swallowed the sushi grudgingly and downed an entire pitcher of water. Fuji chuckled.

"Or not," Ryoma said.

Fuji shrugged. "I couldn't resist dunking one of the pieces top and bottom in wasabi. And I coated the inside of the seaweed, too. I thought someone would notice, and I just tried to keep you guys absorbed in the conversation."

"So that's why you broke the ice," Chitose said. "I'm lucky I didn't get it."

"Haha, yeah. I don't think Tezuka would've minded, though, right?" Fuji looked at Tezuka, who kept silent and crossed his arms.

Fuji shifted. They started eating in comfortable silence again, until Tezuka started speaking this time. "Hey, Fuji, have you done anything since you got here?"

Fuji smiled at Tezuka gratefully and said, "Oh, yeah. Shiraishi and I—" he looked at his boyfriend who grinned at him, "—have won an award already."

"Oh really?" Tezuka said. Everyone nodded.

Ryoma said, "Fuji-sempai, when we're done eating, maybe you can show us the...um…"

"Photograph?" Fuji finished.

"Yeah. I wasn't sure what you won it for," Ryoma explained.

"Of course it was photography," Fuji said. "It was the Annual Osaka Autumn Photography Contest."

"Oh, is Shiraishi a photographer, too?" Tezuka asked.

"No, but he's a graphic artist. He helped me with, you know, editing the picture."

"Oh, I see."

"So, uh, are we done here?" Fuji asked. He looked around. Everyone had finished eating, and was now looking at him.

"Yeah, I'll help you clean up," Chitose said.

"Same," Yukimura said.

--------------------------------

Fuji was ever so innocently picking up a plate when something hit him in the side of the head. Something hard, heavy, and plastic. He turned toward the source of the disturbance and was about to yell at the thrower when water poured all over his face. He opened his eyes and blinked. Yukimura was standing near him, covering his mouth.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I pulled the blanket out from under the things and the water bottles flew everywhere. This one was open. And I think there was another one…"

"Ow!" Chitose shouted at that moment. "Who hit me with an open water bottle? I'm soaked!"

"Yukimura did," Fuji said innocently, pointing to the said boy. He smiled.

"Why you…" Chitose started to walk towards Yukimura, who backed away. He took a water bottle off the ground and poured it all over the smaller boy. Yukimura, Chitose, and Fuji were laughing. Chitose picked his boyfriend up and spun him around.

"What's going on over here?" Shiraishi said. He was walking towards the three of them and Kintarou was skipping around next to him.

"Think fast!" Chitose shouted and threw an open water bottle at Shiraishi. It hit his shoulder, bounced off, and dumped water all over Shiraishi and Kintarou. Soon, there was water flying everywhere, and even Atobe and Ryoma joined in. Tezuka just stood aside and sighed.

"Tezuka, join in!" Fuji called. Tezuka just shook his head, but there was a water bottle aimed at him anyway. He threw his hand up and caught it, but the water still spilled on him.

"Fuji," Tezuka said in a stern voice, but Fuji was laughing and not paying attention to him. Fuji soon found himself covered in ice cold water. He shouted in surprise. He opened his eyes and wiped aside his hair to find Shiraishi and Kintarou on either side of him with the cooler over him and halfway melted ice on the grass.

--------------------------------

"I think I'm the wettest out of all of you guys," Fuji said, while they were walking down the street back to the college dorm.

"You and Seiichi," Chitose said.

"Oh well, you two started it, anyway," Shiraishi said. He shrugged. "You deserved it."

"It was fun, right?" Fuji said, wringing out his shirt.

"Yeah, it was."

They stepped onto the college campus and everyone who was outside stopped what they were doing and stared at the boys. They walked into the building and through the hallways. Even in the school lacking people with any interest in romance, the girls were still staring at them. Even the boys couldn't help but notice the mob of eight handsome guys.

"Good timing, guys," Fuji said. "We're getting a lot of attention." Shiraishi and Atobe laughed. "You guys know how people in this school don't even spare a glance at others, when they're absorbed in their school work."

They stepped into the room that Fuji and Atobe shared, and Ryoma and Tezuka immediately noticed the picture. "As expected of you, Fuji-sempai," Ryoma said.

"Haha, I'm surprised you knew which one it was right away," Fuji said.

"Well, I can tell that all the pictures hanging up are taken by you, but I knew it was this one because it has both you and Shiraishi in it," Ryoma explained. He leaned in and read the plaque aloud. "The Forbidden Love."

"Great picture," Tezuka said simply. "What was the theme?"

"Shadows," Fuji replied.

"I can tell," Ryoma said. "Were the other finalists any good?"

"Oh yeah," Fuji said. "There were times that I thought, 'Well, if I haven't gotten anything yet, I probably won't be getting anything'. Especially the second place one."

"Yeah, that one was pretty amazing," Shiraishi said.

They stepped outside into the bright sunlight. Tezuka looked at his watch. "Oh, I have a plane to catch in about an hour. I'm afraid I'm going to have to be going soon. It's for a tournament. Ryoma's coming, too."

Fuji blinked. "If you had told me there was a tennis tournament, I would've scheduled the reunion at a different time."

"We didn't find out until a couple days ago, and we knew you already planned it out and stuff," Ryoma said.

Fuji laughed. "Planned? We pretty much played by ear. The only things planned were the picnic and the tennis."

"Well then, you're good at it. I had a lot of fun. Most I've had in a while, actually," Tezuka said. "I really hope to see you guys later sometime. And Keigo," he walked up to Atobe and leaned in. "This is for you." He tilted the slightly shorter boy's chin up and kissed him.

Fuji smiled and leaned against Shiraishi's shoulder, as did Yukimura to Chitose. Ryoma looked at Kintarou. "Does this mean that we're supposed to get together?"

"Absolutely not!" Kintarou shouted, looking at Ryoma like he was insane.

"Relax, I was joking," Ryoma said. Kintarou looked at Ryoma again and blushed, but the boy had already turned away.

Fuji turned his attention back to Tezuka and suddenly ran up and threw his arms around his neck. "Tezuka, I loved you." He backed away and held Shiraishi's hand. "I loved you," he repeated. Shiraishi squeezed the smaller hand. "But we're strong. We can forgive and move on, right?" Fuji smiled at Tezuka.

THE END!!!!!!!!!!

* * *

(1): This happened to me not too long ago...actually, it was on Mother's Day. I just decided to include it in my story because I needed something for Shiraishi and Fuji to talk about. 

Okay, about the water bottle thing...food fights are too cliche, in my opinion. Needed something different. And it's not like they would've been carrying hoses or water guns around with them at any given time. xD;; Gotta be realistic here!

And with Ryoma and Kintarou, that was honestly just a spur of the moment. Everyone else had a boyfriend already, right? But nothing else will be added on to that little hint there, because I'm not planning to write anything more to this storyline. Sorry! I'm currently working on a YukiFuji fic, and I think it'll turn out to be a hit. It's kind of going to be more like Painless, if you've read that...more science-fiction type. Which is why I think you'll like it, because it's fun to write so far. So look for that on the fanfictions page soon!

Thanks again to all readers and reviewers, I hope you enjoyed the story!


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